Next Quality Assurance and Improvement 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which QSEN competency focuses on minimizing risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance?
- Patient-centered care
- Safety (Correct answer)
- Teamwork and collaboration
- Evidence-based practice
Correct answer: Safety
The QSEN Safety competency focuses on minimizing risk of harm through effective systems and individual performance.
Question 2: A Pareto chart used in quality improvement displays data to illustrate which principle?
- All causes contribute equally to a problem
- 80% of problems result from 20% of causes (Correct answer)
- The most recent data is always most relevant
- Random variation always exceeds common cause variation
Correct answer: 80% of problems result from 20% of causes
Pareto charts visually illustrate the 80/20 rule, showing that a small number of causes typically account for the majority of problems.
Question 3: A hospital implements a surgical checklist modeled after the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist. This is an example of which quality improvement strategy?
- Benchmarking against a competitor
- Adopting evidence-based best practices (Correct answer)
- Six Sigma defect elimination
- Lean waste reduction
Correct answer: Adopting evidence-based best practices
Using the WHO Surgical Safety Checklist is an example of adopting evidence-based best practices proven to reduce surgical complications and deaths.
Question 4: In a culture of safety, when a nurse makes a medication error and self-reports, the MOST appropriate organizational response is to:
- Terminate employment immediately
- Analyze system factors contributing to the error and implement preventive measures (Correct answer)
- Issue a written warning without further investigation
- Require the nurse to pay for any resulting patient harm
Correct answer: Analyze system factors contributing to the error and implement preventive measures
A just culture approach analyzes system factors and implements preventive measures rather than punishing individuals, which encourages future reporting.
Question 5: Which type of chart is BEST used to monitor a process over time and detect whether it is in or out of statistical control?
- Bar graph
- Control chart (Correct answer)
- Pie chart
- Histogram
Correct answer: Control chart
Control charts display process data over time with upper and lower control limits to distinguish common cause from special cause variation.
Question 6: A hospital's quality team is conducting a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA). What is the PRIMARY purpose of this tool?
- Investigate errors that have already caused patient harm
- Proactively identify and address potential failure points before they cause harm (Correct answer)
- Document staff performance deficiencies
- Benchmark outcomes against national databases
Correct answer: Proactively identify and address potential failure points before they cause harm
FMEA is a proactive risk assessment tool that identifies potential failure points in a process before they lead to adverse events.
Question 7: The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) primarily supports patient safety and quality improvement through which mechanism?
- Accrediting hospitals and outpatient facilities
- Funding research and providing evidence-based tools and guidelines (Correct answer)
- Enforcing federal healthcare regulations
- Managing the Medicare and Medicaid programs
Correct answer: Funding research and providing evidence-based tools and guidelines
AHRQ funds and disseminates research, evidence-based tools, and guidelines to improve the quality, safety, and efficiency of healthcare delivery.
Next Quality Assurance and Improvement 3
Which QSEN competency focuses on minimizing risk of harm to patients and providers through both system effectiveness and individual performance?