Clinical Medicine & Patient Safety Flashcards

Which of the following is a 'never event' in patient safety terminology?

Answer: Wrong-site surgery

Wrong-site surgery is classified as a 'never event' — a serious, largely preventable patient safety incident that should never occur in a well-functioning healthcare system.

The SBAR communication tool stands for:

Answer: Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation

SBAR (Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation) is a structured communication framework used in healthcare to convey critical patient information clearly and efficiently between providers.

Which infection control precaution is required for a patient with active pulmonary tuberculosis?

Answer: Airborne precautions with negative pressure room

Active pulmonary TB requires airborne precautions including placement in a negative pressure room and N95 respirators for healthcare workers, because TB bacilli are transmitted via airborne droplet nuclei.

The chain of survival for cardiac arrest includes all of the following EXCEPT:

Answer: Immediate surgery

The chain of survival comprises: early recognition and activation of emergency services, early CPR, early defibrillation, and early advanced care. Immediate surgery is not part of this chain.

A medication with a narrow therapeutic index requires:

Answer: More frequent therapeutic drug monitoring

Drugs with a narrow therapeutic index have a small margin between effective and toxic doses, requiring frequent therapeutic drug monitoring to maintain efficacy while avoiding toxicity.

Root cause analysis (RCA) in healthcare is primarily used to:

Answer: Identify systemic factors contributing to adverse events

RCA is a non-punitive, systems-based investigation process that identifies underlying organizational and process factors contributing to adverse events, enabling systemic improvements to prevent recurrence.