ECC Project Planning & Execution 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An ECC project team is conducting a gap analysis before launching a school-based CPR training program. Which finding would be MOST significant?
- Students have not previously completed a first aid course
- No standardized CPR curriculum exists for the school district (Correct answer)
- The school gym cannot accommodate more than 30 students at a time
- Teachers prefer video-based learning over hands-on training
Correct answer: No standardized CPR curriculum exists for the school district
The absence of a standardized curriculum means training quality will be inconsistent across schools, making curriculum development the highest-priority gap to address.
Question 2: Which PDCA (Plan-Do-Check-Act) phase corresponds to analyzing resuscitation data after implementing a new code team protocol?
- Plan
- Do
- Check (Correct answer)
- Act
Correct answer: Check
The 'Check' phase involves measuring and evaluating outcomes against the objectives established during the 'Plan' phase.
Question 3: When planning a hospital-wide BLS recertification program, which scheduling approach BEST minimizes patient care disruption?
- Requiring all staff to recertify on a single mandatory training day
- Staggering recertification sessions across multiple shifts and dates with unit-by-unit scheduling (Correct answer)
- Sending all staff off-site for training simultaneously
- Offering recertification only on night shifts when patient volume is lowest
Correct answer: Staggering recertification sessions across multiple shifts and dates with unit-by-unit scheduling
Staggered, unit-by-unit scheduling maintains adequate staffing levels on each unit while ensuring all personnel complete recertification.
Question 4: A project manager receives feedback that code team members frequently forget their roles during resuscitation. Which intervention should be PRIORITIZED in the next training cycle?
- Increasing the frequency of didactic lectures on ACLS algorithms
- Implementing regular high-fidelity simulation with role-specific scenarios and debriefs (Correct answer)
- Distributing laminated role cards to all code team members
- Requiring members to pass an online written exam before participating in codes
Correct answer: Implementing regular high-fidelity simulation with role-specific scenarios and debriefs
High-fidelity simulation with structured debriefing is the most effective method for reinforcing team roles and improving performance under pressure.
Question 5: Which of the following BEST describes a 'champion model' in the context of sustaining a workplace CPR training program?
- Hiring a full-time ECC coordinator for every department
- Identifying and training designated CPR champions within each department who mentor peers and maintain AEDs (Correct answer)
- Purchasing the most expensive training equipment available
- Relying solely on annual mandatory training sessions administered by HR
Correct answer: Identifying and training designated CPR champions within each department who mentor peers and maintain AEDs
A champion model distributes ownership of CPR readiness across the organization by empowering departmental advocates to sustain skills and equipment locally.
Question 6: A city EMS director wants to evaluate whether a new dispatcher-assisted CPR (DA-CPR) protocol improved bystander CPR rates. What is the MOST appropriate study design?
- Survey all 911 dispatchers about their confidence with the new protocol
- Compare bystander CPR rates before and after protocol implementation using cardiac arrest registry data (Correct answer)
- Review patient satisfaction surveys from cardiac arrest survivors
- Count the number of dispatcher training hours completed post-implementation
Correct answer: Compare bystander CPR rates before and after protocol implementation using cardiac arrest registry data
Comparing pre- and post-implementation bystander CPR rates using registry data provides objective evidence of whether the DA-CPR protocol changed outcomes.
Question 7: During execution of a regional ECC quality improvement project, a project lead notices that data collection forms are being completed inconsistently across sites. What is the BEST corrective action?
- Discontinue data collection until all sites are ready
- Conduct a brief standardization training session and provide a revised, simplified data form with clear field definitions (Correct answer)
- Accept inconsistent data and adjust analyses accordingly
- Replace site coordinators who are not completing forms correctly
Correct answer: Conduct a brief standardization training session and provide a revised, simplified data form with clear field definitions
Providing standardization training and a clearer data form addresses the root cause — ambiguity — and improves data integrity without halting the project.
ECC Project Planning & Execution 3
An ECC project team is conducting a gap analysis before launching a school-based CPR training program.
Which finding would be MOST significant?