ISAC Incident Response and Reporting 4

Question 1

A laboratory investigates a cytometry reporting delay and discovers it was caused by an understaffed evening shift. Which category of root cause does this represent?

Accepted Answer

Staffing and resource management issue

Answer

Staffing inadequacy is classified as a resource/management root cause, indicating a systemic issue rather than an individual performance failure.

Question 2

Which timeframe is generally recommended by accreditation bodies for completing a root cause analysis following a serious laboratory incident?

Accepted Answer

Within 45 days

Answer

Most accreditation standards, including those of The Joint Commission, recommend completing a root cause analysis within 45 days of a sentinel or serious event.

Question 3

A cytometry laboratory implements a new SOP after an incident but the same error recurs three months later. What does this MOST likely indicate?

Accepted Answer

The corrective action was inadequate or staff were not properly trained on the new SOP

Answer

Recurrence of an error after a corrective action most commonly indicates that the action was insufficient or that staff training on the change was inadequate.

Question 4

Under HIPAA, how must incident reports containing protected health information (PHI) be stored?

Accepted Answer

Securely, with access restricted to authorized personnel involved in quality management

Answer

HIPAA requires that PHI in incident reports be stored securely with access limited to authorized individuals who have a legitimate need to review the information.

Question 5

A flow cytometry technologist notices that a colleague has been consistently bypassing the specimen labeling verification step. What is the most appropriate professional response?

Accepted Answer

Report the deviation to the supervisor as a potential safety risk and document the observation

Answer

Bypassing mandatory verification steps creates patient safety risks even without immediate harm; reporting to a supervisor through established safety channels is the appropriate professional obligation.

(ISAC) International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry Practice Test

(ISAC) International Society for the Advancement of Cytometry Practice Test

ISAC Incident Response and Reporting 4