NMBI Patient Safety — Questions and Answers
Question 1: What is the purpose of the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare in Ireland?
- To provide a framework for quality and safety in healthcare services, setting out what is expected in terms of safe, person-centred care (Correct answer)
- To regulate pharmaceutical companies
- To set car parking fees at hospitals
- To determine hospital visiting hours
Correct answer: To provide a framework for quality and safety in healthcare services, setting out what is expected in terms of safe, person-centred care
The National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare, published by HIQA, provide a framework for continuous quality improvement in healthcare. They cover eight themes including person-centred care, effective care, safe care, and leadership.
Question 2: What is an 'open disclosure' in the context of patient safety in Ireland?
- An open, honest, and timely communication with a patient when things go wrong in their healthcare, including an apology and explanation (Correct answer)
- Disclosing patient information to the media
- Sharing a patient's diagnosis with their employer
- Publishing hospital error rates online
Correct answer: An open, honest, and timely communication with a patient when things go wrong in their healthcare, including an apology and explanation
Open disclosure is the process of communicating honestly with patients (and their families) when adverse events occur. The HSE Open Disclosure Policy requires that patients are told what happened, given an apology, and informed about what steps are being taken to prevent recurrence.
Question 3: What is ISBAR and how is it used in clinical handover?
- A structured communication tool: Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation — used to ensure safe transfer of patient information (Correct answer)
- An infection screening tool
- A patient satisfaction survey
- A medication ordering system
Correct answer: A structured communication tool: Identify, Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation — used to ensure safe transfer of patient information
ISBAR is a standardised communication framework used during clinical handovers to ensure all relevant patient information is communicated clearly and completely. It reduces the risk of important information being lost during transitions of care.
Question 4: What is the correct procedure for patient identification before administering a medication?
- Use at least two patient identifiers (full name AND date of birth or medical record number) and check against the prescription (Correct answer)
- Ask the patient their first name only
- Check the bed number
- Rely on recognising the patient's face
Correct answer: Use at least two patient identifiers (full name AND date of birth or medical record number) and check against the prescription
Two identifiers must be used to confirm patient identity before any clinical intervention, including medication administration. The patient should be asked to state their full name and date of birth, which are then checked against the prescription and wristband.
Question 5: What is the role of incident reporting in patient safety?
- To document and analyse adverse events and near misses so that patterns can be identified and systemic improvements can be made to prevent recurrence (Correct answer)
- To assign blame to individual staff members
- To determine who should be dismissed
- To reduce insurance costs only
Correct answer: To document and analyse adverse events and near misses so that patterns can be identified and systemic improvements can be made to prevent recurrence
Incident reporting is a non-punitive system designed to capture information about adverse events and near misses. Analysing this data identifies systemic weaknesses and drives improvements. A 'just culture' approach encourages reporting without fear of blame for honest errors.
Question 6: What are the 'Five Rights' of medication administration?
- Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time (Correct answer)
- Right doctor, right nurse, right hospital, right day, right cost
- Right form, right colour, right label, right bottle, right shelf
- Right ward, right bed, right chart, right pharmacy, right shift
Correct answer: Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time
The Five Rights are fundamental safety checks for medication administration: right patient, right drug/medication, right dose, right route of administration, and right time. Additional rights such as right documentation and right reason are also now widely adopted.
NMBI Patient Safety
What is the purpose of the National Standards for Safer Better Healthcare in Ireland?