Next Safety and Compliance 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A nurse discovers a small fire in a patient's room. Using the RACE acronym, what is the FIRST action the nurse should take?
- Rescue patients in immediate danger (Correct answer)
- Activate the fire alarm
- Confine the fire by closing doors
- Extinguish the fire using a fire extinguisher
Correct answer: Rescue patients in immediate danger
RACE stands for Rescue, Alarm, Confine, Extinguish — rescuing patients from immediate danger is always the first priority.
Question 2: A patient on contact precautions requires wound care. Which PPE sequence is correct when entering the room?
- Gown, then gloves (Correct answer)
- Gloves, then gown
- Mask, gown, then gloves
- Gloves, mask, then gown
Correct answer: Gown, then gloves
For contact precautions, the gown is donned first to protect clothing, then gloves are applied over the gown cuffs.
Question 3: Which intervention is the HIGHEST priority to prevent patient falls in an acute care setting?
- Keeping the call light within the patient's reach at all times (Correct answer)
- Placing a fall-risk sign outside the room door
- Documenting the fall risk assessment every shift
- Applying bilateral wrist restraints to high-risk patients
Correct answer: Keeping the call light within the patient's reach at all times
Ensuring the call light is accessible allows patients to request assistance before attempting unsafe independent mobility.
Question 4: A nurse is preparing to administer a medication via IV push. The label reads '10 mg/mL' and the order is for 25 mg. How many mL should be administered?
- 2.5 mL (Correct answer)
- 0.4 mL
- 4 mL
- 25 mL
Correct answer: 2.5 mL
Using the formula: dose desired ÷ dose on hand = 25 mg ÷ 10 mg/mL = 2.5 mL.
Question 5: Under HIPAA, which situation represents an appropriate disclosure of protected health information (PHI) without patient authorization?
- Sharing information with a treating specialist involved in the patient's care (Correct answer)
- Telling a patient's employer about a work-related injury
- Providing records to the patient's insurance company for billing disputes
- Discussing the diagnosis with the patient's spouse in the hallway
Correct answer: Sharing information with a treating specialist involved in the patient's care
HIPAA permits disclosure of PHI to other healthcare providers directly involved in treating the patient without requiring separate authorization.
Question 6: A nurse observes a colleague removing a controlled substance from the automated dispensing cabinet without a corresponding patient order. The MOST appropriate action is to:
- Report the observation to the nurse manager or charge nurse immediately (Correct answer)
- Confront the colleague privately before reporting
- Document the incident in the patient's medical record
- Inform the patient whose name was used for the withdrawal
Correct answer: Report the observation to the nurse manager or charge nurse immediately
Diversion of controlled substances is a serious safety and legal issue that must be reported to a supervisor immediately per institutional policy.
Question 7: Which action best demonstrates compliance with the Joint Commission's National Patient Safety Goal for improving the accuracy of patient identification?
- Using two patient identifiers before administering medication or performing procedures (Correct answer)
- Checking the room number against the patient's wristband
- Asking the patient to state their diagnosis before treatment
- Verifying identity using the patient's insurance card
Correct answer: Using two patient identifiers before administering medication or performing procedures
The Joint Commission requires at least two patient-specific identifiers (e.g., name and date of birth) before providing care to prevent errors.
Next Safety and Compliance 2
A nurse discovers a small fire in a patient's room.
Using the RACE acronym, what is the FIRST action the nurse should take?