Quality Assurance and Improvement Flashcards
7 cards from real FANZCA practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Quality Assurance and Improvement flashcards as text
In perioperative quality improvement, which of the following is an example of a 'balancing measure' when implementing a fast-track extubation protocol?
Answer: Rate of unplanned reintubation within 24 hours
Balancing measures detect unintended consequences of an improvement intervention; unplanned reintubation rate would indicate whether fast-track extubation compromises respiratory safety.
The concept of 'just culture' in anaesthesia safety organizations means:
Answer: Individuals are accountable for their choices while recognizing system contributions to error and distinguishing between negligence and honest mistakes
Just culture holds individuals accountable for choices (particularly reckless behavior) while recognizing systemic factors and differentiating between human error, at-risk behavior, and reckless acts.
When performing a clinical audit of anaesthesia documentation completeness, which sampling strategy would provide the MOST valid estimate of overall compliance?
Answer: Random sampling of records from across all procedure types and time periods
Random sampling across all procedure types and time periods avoids selection bias and provides a representative estimate of overall documentation compliance.
A trainee anaesthetist makes a medication error during an emergency. Under a quality improvement framework, which initial action is MOST appropriate for the supervising consultant?
Answer: Document the event, ensure patient safety, and engage the trainee in a blame-free debrief to understand contributing factors
Patient safety takes priority, followed by a blame-free debrief that treats the event as a learning opportunity and completes incident documentation with the trainee's involvement.
The 'trigger tool' methodology in anaesthesia quality measurement is designed to:
Answer: Retrospectively identify adverse events in medical records using specific clinical cues as flags
Trigger tools use predefined clinical cues (e.g., naloxone administration, unplanned ICU admission) as flags to prompt retrospective medical record review for adverse events.
In the FANZCA context, which of the following represents a 'sentinel event' specifically relevant to anaesthesia practice?
Answer: Unintended intraoperative awareness with recall under general anaesthesia
Unintended intraoperative awareness with recall is a sentinel event in anaesthesia practice, representing a serious unexpected occurrence that requires immediate investigation.
Which approach to quality improvement is characterized by incremental small tests of change using rapid PDSA cycles, as opposed to large-scale planned redesign?
Answer: The Model for Improvement with iterative PDSA cycles
The Model for Improvement, developed by Associates in Process Improvement, uses iterative rapid PDSA cycles to test small changes incrementally before scale-up.