PREview Reliability and Dependability 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: Which characteristic is MOST closely associated with being a dependable healthcare team member?
- Performing tasks only when in a good mood
- Following through on commitments regardless of difficulty (Correct answer)
- Waiting to be reminded before completing assigned tasks
- Completing tasks quickly without attention to quality
Correct answer: Following through on commitments regardless of difficulty
Dependability involves consistent follow-through on commitments with adequate quality, even when circumstances are difficult.
Question 2: What is the relationship between reliability and patient safety?
- Reliability has little direct impact on patient outcomes
- Reliable professionals ensure critical tasks and handoffs are completed consistently, reducing errors (Correct answer)
- Reliability only matters during emergencies
- Patient safety depends entirely on advanced clinical skills, not reliability
Correct answer: Reliable professionals ensure critical tasks and handoffs are completed consistently, reducing errors
Reliability in completing tasks and handoffs consistently is a direct contributor to patient safety systems.
Question 3: You are given a task by your supervisor but realize midway through that you lack a required resource. What should a dependable professional do?
- Stop and wait silently for someone to notice
- Inform your supervisor immediately and propose solutions (Correct answer)
- Complete the task incorrectly to meet the deadline
- Pretend the task was completed
Correct answer: Inform your supervisor immediately and propose solutions
Communicating resource gaps promptly and proposing solutions demonstrates initiative and maintains trust.
Question 4: What role does self-monitoring play in professional dependability?
- It is unnecessary if supervisors are providing oversight
- It helps professionals track their own commitments and identify risks before they lead to failures (Correct answer)
- It increases anxiety without improving performance
- It is only relevant for independent practitioners
Correct answer: It helps professionals track their own commitments and identify risks before they lead to failures
Self-monitoring enables professionals to proactively manage their commitments and identify potential failures before they occur.
Question 5: How does personal accountability support a culture of reliability in healthcare?
- By assigning blame clearly when things go wrong
- By encouraging professionals to own their actions and seek improvement rather than making excuses (Correct answer)
- By creating a competitive environment
- By centralizing decision-making in senior staff
Correct answer: By encouraging professionals to own their actions and seek improvement rather than making excuses
Personal accountability means taking ownership of your actions, which builds a culture of reliability and continuous improvement.
Question 6: Which feedback BEST addresses a student's pattern of last-minute, error-prone assignment submissions?
- You need to be more careful
- Your pattern of last-minute submissions risks quality — building in review time would improve both reliability and output (Correct answer)
- Your grades will suffer
- Try harder next time
Correct answer: Your pattern of last-minute submissions risks quality — building in review time would improve both reliability and output
Specific, actionable feedback targeting the behavior pattern gives the student clear guidance for improving reliability.
