CPHQ All
CPHQ All
CPHQ All
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6 The best evaluation of performance improvement plan is
a- Process improvement
b- measurable objectives
c- applicable deliverables
d- timeline
1 APerformance of individuals
2 Plan Apprisal
3 System?
4 Process?
1 Process?
2 System?
3 Individual
4 steps
1 System
2 Performance
3 Individual
1 Quality improvement
2 Utilization management
3 Risk management
4 Process map
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11 the most appropriate to evaluate case manager
1 los
3 patient complaints
A. Discussion of issues
B. Prioritization of issues
C. Recording of issues
B. Monitor variations
C. Limit Dr intervention
B. Loss reduction
22 the tool that keeps the team on track to follow all tasks
A. Business plan?
B. Gannet chart ?
C. Flowchart
D. Control chart
A. Line graph
B. Histogram
C. Scatter diagram
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D. Pare to chart
D. Financial control
B. When his satisfaction survey results are collected from both facilities on
the fly
A. why diagram
B. Flow chart
C. Gannet chart
A. Occupancy report
B. Sentinel event
C.Future
33 the team member that keeps team on track and clarify issues
A.Leader
B.Member
C.Facilitator
D.Time keeper
CEO
Quality council
Share holders
Governance board
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CEO ?
Quality council?
Share holders
Governance board
CEO
Chief surgeon
Best practice
Benchmarking
Severity adjustment
Setting goals
Continuous readiness
A. Culture of no abuse
C. Quality culture
D. A culture of timeliness
B. Measure results
C. Keep monitoring
D. Results reporting
B. Vision
C. Setting goals
B. Annual reporting
C. Use of PDCA
D. Prioritization of goals
45 Z-Score represents:
a. Standard Deviation
b. Average
c. Ultimate goal
d. Regression value
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C. Six sigma
D. Continues quality improvement
B-Mangers?
C-Physician
D-Nurses
A.80
B.200
C.400
D. 300
53-When a surveyor reached for regulatory visit, the first question that
the quality professional will ask for is
a.LOS.
b.autopsy.
c.physician profile.
a-organizational change?
b. conflict of interest
c. consumer needs?
d. accreditation needs
61- a large facility has fostered a culture of patient safety through staff
education , support of process improvement ,department levels of
implementation of non-punitive approach to error reporting compliance
with patient safety goals ranges from 75-100% in assessing culture of
patient safety cphq should:
b-survey pt last 6 m
a-pt survey
b-time constrain
c-policies
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c-group dynamics & facilitation
68- According to quality assurance point of view, the main focus is on:
A-System
B-Individual
C-Processes
D – Customer
Answer: B
70-.the best tool to display length of stay variation over the last 5 years :
a.pareto chart.
b.control chart.
c.regression anaylsis.
d.bar gragh
71- which of the following tool could be used to assess the effeciency of lab
speceimen processing?
a. pareto chart.
b. regression analysis.
d. productivity index.
75-appropriateness of appendectomy
A. preadmission test
B. pathology test
C. age
D. clinical test
b-accrediting body
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c-organization
C-Mission, vision, values , short & long term goals & objectives
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results. The average daily census at the organization is 1000 patients. The
most accurate & efficient sampling technique for this study would be:
D- Identify 30% of all records that failed preliminary care plan compliance
review
A- Practitioner profiling
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B- Root cause analysis
C- Practitioner credentialing
D- Incident analysis
A- Disaster preparedness
C- Equipment management
86-Analysis of events, trends & customer needs ……is the initial phase of
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A- histogram
B- flowchart
C- affinity diagram
D- prioritization matrix
89-Organizational continuing education needs are best identified through what
type of activities
A- UM
B- QI
C- Budgeting
D- HR
90-Clinical pathway identifies all of the following except:
A- Patient satisfaction
B- Better & Best Practice
C- Cost survey
D- Outcome of processes
-------------------------------------------------------------------
91- Arrange ;
1-Gathering data
3-Make commitment
4-Implementation
A- 2- 1- 3 -4
B- 3- 2- 1- 4
C- 1 – 2- 3 -4
D- 3 -1 -4 -2
92-A poster contain information will most effectively convey outcome
information to internal customers?
A- 2 Bar graphs showing the 2 unites with fewest number of falls over past
year
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B- (Patient fall decreased over 4 years) printed above a line graph showing
percentage of falls to patient days
D- (Patient fall last year were 0.5% of patient days) printed to photograph of
the organization staff
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A- description of educational programs
B- statement of purpose
C- description of reporting mechanisms
D- scope of the program
-------------------------------------------------------------------
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A- self assessment
B- participants' feedback
C- observed behavioral changes
D- post-test results
B- Results of FMEA
- sample
- population
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B-Organizational assessment & change management
Which to be reviewed??
A- Entire staff
B- Senior leader
C- Patient safety officer
D- Medical executive officer
A-Data sabotage
B-Process reboot
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110-Organization committed to improving patient safety, Key areas to
influence change are
A-Physician involvement
B-Staff education
D-Patient education
A-Several patient complained their call lights not answered during night shifts
B-Several physicians don't allocate enough time for procedures which booking
surgical cases
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C- Finance billing outpatient procedures as ambulatory surgery
A- Identification
B- Evaluation
C- Reduction
D- Intervention
A.mortality rate
Explanation:
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119- The Balanced Scorecard answers which questions? :
a) unreliable
b) invalid
c) unreliable and invalid
d) incorrect
Explanation:
A. The first requisite for blood pressure determination is a correctly
calibrated manometer. Reliability is the consistency of measurement, or
the degree to which an instrument measures the same way each time it
is used under the same condition with the same subjects. In short, it is
the repeatability of measurement under same conditions.
D. Incorrect describes the reading not the device. By logic, either one or
both readings are incorrect. So the answer is partially true but if
remained with answer A, it will be dropped out since answer A is more
robust. If I were to set the question, I would prefer not to put this
distractor but rather replace it with other terms such as unpleasant,
unsafe, uncertain or flexible. In such kinds of question, my advice is just
(go with the flow) and don’t make much fuss. Just pass the exam their
way then after certification, act your better own one ( think global and
act local).Equally remember that USA is a nation of immigrants and
English is very likely to be a second language and terms may not
interpreted as precise as they should be.
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121-Reengineering QI in a newly merged multi-specialty medical group
practice represents which process in the quality/performance
improvement function? :
a. Planning/design
b. Measurement/monitoring
c. Assessment/analysis
d. Improvement/re-monitoring
a. respect/caring.
b. safety.
c. continuity.
d. availability.
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126-Incorporating TQM key concepts, compartmentalization of QM/QI
activities by organizational structure, i.e., by department or discipline,
is:
A. Faster interpretation
B. Easier to perform
C. Most managers can't understand numbers
D. Easier on the eyes
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132-Responsibility of quality improvement within the organization is to:
A. Leader
B. Facilitator
C. Time keeper
D. Recorder
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136-The following is important in development of practice guidelines
except:
A. Physician
B. Quality manger
C. Evidence based research
D. Nurses
A-Structure
B-Process
C-Outcome
D-Monitoring
A. Performing
B. Storming
C. Norming
D. Forming
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142-Avoiding waste, in particular waste of equipment, supplies, ideas,
and time actualize which quality dimension:
A-effectiveness
B-efficiency
C-appropriateness
D-efficacy
Efficiency is the maximum utilization of the available resources,
maximum unit production from unit of resources.
Efficacy: the capacity of the resources to deliver + results proved by
research
Effectiveness: the amount of the desired +ve results reached when we
actually utilize the resources
Appropriateness: is that the service we deliver is related and in
accordance to the real need of the patient
149-the quality professional should master all of the following skills but
the most effective one is:
1. data analysis
2. financial management.
3. system’s design.
4. written and verbal communication
first of all u have to know how to answer theses kind of questions, the
key word here is the most effective one: this refers to that all the
answers are skills that the quality professional must own and master in
order to perform properly, he has to know how to analyze data and use
these data for decision making and prioterization, he has to to know
how to design or share in the designing and planning of different
systems, he has to be aware about different aspects of financial
management in order to control and evaluate the cost in order to add
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value to the process of care.
but imagine with me that this quality specialist is a bad communicator
how could all his tasks be effective?????? how could he communicate
the results of the analysis of data? how could he share in designing
systems with people he cant communicate with ?
and the most important how could he lead?
how could he educate:
how could he be a marketer for quality?
how could he lead by example?
how could he reach the buy in of the leaders and the detailed
management?
how could he reach the leadership and the organizationwide
commitment?
how could create a culture of quality?
communication communication communication
u have to own this skill to make dreams come true.
C. top-down instruction
151-In behavioral health care setting CQI team working for 1 year to
decrease the chemical& physical restraint. After application of the
program, the falls with subsequent injuries increase for 1 standard
deviation, the following action is-2
Minutes -B
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Team achievement-C
Complaints -D
Can't be graphed-A
Can't be averaged-D
156-The upper & lower limits of control charts are measured from
Benchmark-B
Flowchart-A
Control chart-B
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Bar graph-C
Pie charts-D
Quality professional-B
162-When the team members start to interest in hearing each other's &
being on focus on goals & to respect each other's, this is the stage of
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Performing-A
Storming-B
Norming-C
Forming-D
Targeted,perioterized surveillance?-B
Community surveillance-C
Leader-A
Quality manger-B
External consultant-C
Nurse manger-D
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Talk to the nurse manger-C
-D
Medical staff-A
Quality manger-B
Leader-C
Other hospital-A
Previous lectures-B
Automobile industry-C
Nothing-D
173-In the business cycle, the negative cash flow present in which of the
following stages:
Growth stage -A
Harvest stage -B
Maintenance stage -C
Finance -A
Patients -B
Clinical process-C
Learning -D
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176-To gain the leadership commitment to performance improvement
projects, the quality professional should capitalize on which of the
following:
Administrative data -A
Support data -B
Managerial data-c
Clinical data-D
Complaint logs -A
Managerial observations -B
Satisfaction survey -C
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180-Data about the competitors may be obtained from all of the
followings sources except:
National standards -A
Individual customers -B
News media -C
A-Complicated
B-Complex
C-Simple
D-Flexible
A-Structure measure
B-Process measure
C-Outcome measure
D-Continuous measure
A-Feasibility
B-project revenue
C-customer acceptance
D-actual costs
B-analysis of the capital expenditures for its viability and the broader
benefit
D-a process done by the quality manger and approved by the governing body
Answer: B
A is the Cost effectiveness, the rest are not cost analysis means
B-reduction in losses
C-profit
D-avoided costs
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189-Physician cooperation in quality improvement initiatives is
important and best gainedBy:
C-clarifying that TQM conflict with the way the physician thinks
A-company wide
C-a and b
A-reaction level
B-result level
C-behavior level
D-learning level
B-norms of behavior
A-effectiveness
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B-efficiency
C-appropriateness
D- patient-centeredness
A-safety
B- patient-centeredness
C-equity
D-appropriateness
195- Avoiding injuries to patient from care that's intended to help them
is:
A-- patient-centeredness
B-equity
C-safety
D-timeliness
B-foster integration
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198-In health care organization, the quality department developed an
indicator to measure the commitment of the staff to myocardial
infarction guidelines. This indicator measure:
A-process
B –structure
C-culture
D-outcome
199-All of the following are considered as rules that adopted health care
organization in the new century except:
C-The plan developed by the organization in pursuit to its goal and objectives
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202-Goals and objectives are similar but could be differentiated by:
C-Goals are broad & general statement whole objectives are specific
statements
C-Prioritize
A-Economic forces
B-Societal values
C-Political issues
D-Other competitors
F- Research
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206-Hoshin planning allows integration of quality improvement with
strategic planning the primary reason to undertake hoshin planning is:
D-Demonstrate the gap between the organization and the best performer
A-Staff
B-Quality manger
C-board of trustees
D-Department director
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210-Health care quality professional can best communicate
organizational values & committed through
A-Leading by example
D-Financial loss
C-Regulatory compliance
D-Claims management
A-Insurance industry
B-Aviation industry
D-Clinical area
B-Medication error
C-Sentinel event
D-Nurses fault
A-Retrospective review
B-Concurrent review
C-Prospective review
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B-Investigate event, develop action plan, report finding, and redesign the
process
C-Investigate event, develop action plan, redesign the process and report
finding
A-Distract the attention of the patient, discuss the incidence with the staff and
make action plan
B-Discuss the incidence with the patient; make punishment on responsible for
the incidence
C-Discuss the incidence with the patient and the staff and make an
action plan
D-Make no action
A-Education
B-Statistical evaluation
C-Research
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D-Collaboration with the financial office staff regarding methods of risk
financing
A-Prospective review
B-Retrospective review
C-Concurrent review
C-Appeals consideration
D-Reappointment
A-Preadmission test
B-Discharge planning
D-Pattern review
229-Which of the following relate the cost of the process to the desired
outcome
A-Cost-effectiveness analysis?
B-Cost-benefit analysis?
C-Operation budget
D-Capital budget
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230-In the first meeting of continuous quality improvement team the
following id done except
A-Storming
B-Norming
C-Adjourning
D-Forming
B-Individual growth
D-Productivity
A-Giving example
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D-Ask trainees to make on line search
Direct interference with the event by error proofing, prevent the cause
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241-which of the following is the best way to determine if quality
improvement initiatives is successful ?
A. Compare outcomes with pre established goals
B. Conduct a survey of employees
C. Present findings to the quality council
D. Survey patient and customers
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250-Replacing retrospective review with concurrent review is an
example of
A. A paradigm shift
B. A process improvement
C. An empowerment process
D. Productivity enhancement
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257-In evaluating "long waiting times " a healthcare quality professional
best demonstrates components related to
staffing,methods,measure,materials and equipments utilizing
A. Run chart
B. Histogram
C. Pie chart
D. Ishikawa diagram
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D. Correlation, regression & T-test
274- For which of the following the process capability best used
A. Identify if process is having intended effect
B. Focusing a team on the best thing to do
C. Narrowing down options through systematic approach of
comparison
D. Determining if a process meets established specifications
E. Fishbone diagram
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275- When a case manager want to demonstrates length of stay data
that depicts both common cause & special cause variation which of the
following should be used :
A. Pareto chart
B. Scatter plot
C. Shewart chart
D. Frequency plot
276- The most effective way for healthcare quality professional to
communicate quality improvement activities to the medical staff is by
A. Developing professional relationships
B. Inviting medical staff to an in service on quality tools
C. Evaluating physician participation on quality teams
D. Providing outcomes data at medical staff meeting
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289- A patient was admitted to a hospital with chest pain on Friday
evening, a myocardial infarction was ruled out & the patient discharged
on Sunday the utilization management coordinator reviewed the chart
on Monday to determine medical necessityfor admission. This type of
review
A. Avoidable
B. Prospective
C. Retrospectives
D. Concurrent
290- Which of the following tools should be used to collect patient and
practitioner special data
A. Flow chart
B. Graphs
C. Histogram
D. Spreadsheet
292- Which of the followings are primary reasons for developing drug
formulas?
A. Manage pharmacy cost & promote patient safety
B. Reduce medication errors& educate physicians
C. Encourage the appropriate use of medication& minimize inventory
D. Decrease food and drugs interactions and improve patient
satisfaction
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296- Barriers in implementing the evidence based guidelines include all
of the following except
A. Lack of awareness that the guidelines are present
B. Lack of ability to implement
C. Lack of agreement by physicians
D. Lack of information of the patient acceptance
302-The following are domains included in the IOM report "crossing the
quality chasm" except
A. Equity
B. Appropriateness
C. Safety
D. Effectiveness
303- All healthcare settings are required to adopt patient safety goals,
the following setting has the highest priority
A. Home care setting
B. Acute health care
C. Sub acute healthcare
D. Chronic setting
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304-All of the following are methods to improve the accuracy of patient
identification at the blood transfusion except
A. Use 2 patient identifiers
B. Using bar codes
C. Using radio frequency identification tags
D. Asking the patient his name
305-Low medication error rating in a health care organization may be
due to one of the following except
A. Highly developed culture of safety
B. The systems has detect errors deficient
C. The staff is reluctant reports due to fear of reprisal
D. The organization adopt performance improvement approach lead to
error reduction
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A. Any unintentional event caused by healthcare that either did or
could have led to patient harm
B. Tool designed to elicit information from patient regarding certain
activities and behaviors that can influence health status
C. Making the member an active participant in choosing the course
of care
D. Examining claims for mistakes
325- Voluntary reporting system may under report incidents due to all of
the following except
A. Time constraints
B. Fear of shame
C. Developed safety culture
D. Blame litigation
326- The best strategy for preventing errors that cause harm is
A. Focus on who hold accountable to the harm
B. Provide a system of care in which patients are well protected
C. Refuse admission of patients prone to complications
D. Make the family responsible for safety of patient
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331-All of the following should be incorporated in the solution for
medical except
A. Understanding the underlying cause of errors
B. Learn from reported errors
C. Eliminate conditions that contribute to preventable adverse events
D. Focus on staff producing errors
332- The least appropriate mean in training the staff to perform tasks in
a superior fashion with safer outcome is
A. Give team materials to be studied at home
B. Making workshops
C. Using mannequin and human simulator model
D. Web based education
333- Several types of information technology reduce the frequency of
medication errors which is not an example information technology
A. Computerized physician order entry
B. Robots
C. Computerized medication administration records
D. Registers
E. Automated pharmacy systems
F. Smart intravenous devices
right medication for the right patient by the right dose In the right time by the
right route; otherwise it's a medication error in prescribing
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337- System improvement by introducing information technology
applications are considered
A. Organizational change
B. Process change
C. Paradigm shift
D. Outcome change
340-An outpatient clinic assess medication side effect for children with
the following ages (1111122345)
The modal pattern of the children ages is
A- 1 B- 2 C- 3 D- 4
The median age is
A- 1 B- 1.5C- 3 D- 3
355- A nurse receives a verbal order for medication from physician, the
nurse should
A. Ask the medication from pharmacists
B. Neglect the order
C. Read the order back
D. Write and tell the order
358- Nurse in the post operative found missed clamp, X-ray has done to
the patient was negative & the patient has no symptoms this occurrence
is type of
A. Claim management
B. Potentially compensable event
C. Error rating
D. Incompetent surgeon
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359-generic screening is an example of risk:
a. reduction.
b. identification.
c. prevention.
d. handling.
360-consensus means:
b. unanimous agreement.
a. communication breakdown.
c. incompetent nurse.
a-other hospital
B-previous lectures
C-automobile industry
a- storming
b- performing
c- norming
d- forming
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365- Root Cause Analysis conducted e' analysis of aggregated data , is
considered:
a- prospective
b- concurrent
c- retrospective
366- To display the stability of nosocomial infection rate overtime ,use which
of the following tools:
a- pareto chart
b- control chart
c-flow chart
d- bar chart
367- To prioritize
a- pareto chart
b- flow chart
c- run chart
368- The ultimate responsibility of setting policy for quality of care provided
by organization is rested on:
a- quality manager
b- staff
c- governing body
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370- Journal publish new article include 3 new patient safety intiatives. as
QP,what should you do first?
a- empowerment
d- customer satisfaction
a- negotiating process
c- conflict resolution
d- budjeting techniques
373- The best tool to display relation bet. Reimbursement & cost is:
a- scatter diagram
b- pareto diagram
c- flow chart
a- progressive attainment
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376- CQI to be successful ,who must be included in the team?
a- Adminstrator
b- Quality council
b- community standards
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382- Which of the following is essential to an effective CQI?
b- support of leadership
a- facilitator
b- quality council
c- leader
a- 0.3 $
b- 1 $
c- 1.5 $
d- 3 $
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c- clinical competency of physician is answerable
379- all of the following are considered type of reward & recognition of
team members except:
380- which of following tools keeping team on the track to complete all
tasks?
a- flow chart
b- gantt chart
c- pareto chart
Quality professional
382-If the gross cost of a quality improvement project is 750$, the net
cost is 250$, net profit is 250$ and the gross profit is 500$. Then the
return on investment (ROI) from such a project is:
a. 1
b. 0.33
c. 2
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383-how to compare l.o.s of many patient by the physician
mean
correlation
s.d
range
process of care
standard indicators
accreditation indicator
b-cost-benefit analysis
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D. helps to track standard practice patterns
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394-healthcare q. professional has been asked to present information to
senior leadership about hospital publicity, the report should include:
a-clinical expert
b-computer training
c-comparison of data with benchmark
d-customer satisfaction
b. The degree to which needed care is provided to the patient at the most
beneficial time.
a. Effective.
b. Efficient.
c. Efficacious.
d. Appropriate.
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402-When an employer contracts with a health plan or directly with a
provider, this employer should be concerned about which of the
following perspectives:
a. Ernest Codman.
b. Florence Nightingale.
c. Avedis Donabedian.
d. Donald Berwick.
a) Focus groups.
b) Brainstorming.
d) a and c only.
e) a, b and c.
405-When the health care delivered should not vary in Quality because
of patient's personal characteristics such as gender, ethnicity,
geographic location, and socioeconomic status; then this health care is
a) Safe.
b) Efficient.
c) Patient centered.
e) Equitable..
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a) Practice the profession with honesty and integrity.
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d) Assign quality professionals to lead the process of cultural
transformation.
412-All of the following are key components that guide the (Strategic
Organizational Direction), except:
a) Mission.
b) Vision.
c) Procedures.
d) Values.
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a) Has organization-wide impact
b) Is linked to one or more strategic goals.
c) Should addresses clinical issues only.
d) Should focus on the improvement of systems and processes.
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a) Responsible for sentinel event root cause analysis
b) Incorporated into safety management
c) Integrated with organizationalwide performance Improvement
d) The responsibility of the clinical performance improvement teams.
a. Customer satisfaction
b. Enhanced communication
c. Employee empowerment
d. Improved statistical data
a. Outcome of care
b. Process of care
c. Structure of care
d. Administrative procedure
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a. the ethnicity of the organization's employees and licensed
independent practitioners
b. assumptions about people and how work gets done
c. the efforts to reach out to the diverse groups in the community.
d. the scheduled social and cultural events within the organization.
a. autocratic.
b. consultative.
c. participatory.
d. democratic
428-In any quality management approach, how can you best evaluate
the effectiveness of action taken?
434-Failure mode and effects analysis (FM EA) is what type of review or
improvement tool?
a. Concurrent
b. Focused
c. Prospective
d. Retrospective
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435-The basic philosophy of benchmarking is
a.1,2,3,4
b.1,3,4,2
c.3,1,4,2
d.3,2,1,4
437-in postoperative assessment the nurse discovered that the surgeon has
replaced the wrong hip for a patient.this is considered:
a.sentinel event.
b.malpractice.
LOS is very generic and cannot judge the real performance of Hospitals.
Revenue is confidential data
Complication and readmission both represent care provided and are the
most annoying part between Hospitals and insurance companies
438-FMEA is considered:
a.proactive.
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b.retrospective.
c.concurrent.
a.team minutes.
b.team achievments.
a.DRG
b.severity adjusted.
c.LOS adjusted.
a.focus group.
b.quesstionare.
c.surveys.
a.delgate tasks.
b.mutal trust.
a.norming.
b.forming.
c.storming.
d.conforming.
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444-the best evidence of pateint safety culutre:
a.publish newsletters.
c- identify outcomes
a.mortality rate.
b.average LOS.
d.lab speciemen.
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readmission,adverse reactions....) 2- patient functionality (long term health,
ADL....) AND 3- Perceived outcome (pt satisfaction, peer acceptability....)So
the only outcome measure in this question is A; Clinical outcome.
a.daily census.
b.case mix .
c.DRG
d.acuity index.
a.decreased complication.
d.decreased LOS
a.GB
d.quality professional.
a.flow chart.
b.fishbone diagram.
c. 5 Whys.
455-which of the following diseases is best for beginning of implementation of clinical pathway?
b.heart failure.
c.gastroenteritis.
a.reduce harm.
a.normal.
b.misconduct.
c.purposality.
error is not normal, it said than to err is human, only to confess that we may
err but it's not accepted to deal with it as a normal practice
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457-use the following data to answer the following 2 Q:
Orthroscopies 20
Hip replacement 40
a.32%.
b.23%.
c.30%
d.40%.
a.40%.
b.28%.
c.30%.
d.20%.
b. individuals.
a.financial plan.
b.strategic plan.
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460-sharing in developing SBAR with quality professional:
a.nurse.
c.financial officer.
a.pareto chart.
b.fishbone.
c.regression analysis.
463-to evaluate the effectiveness of the pharmacy unit, you should review:
b.length of Ab use.
a.best practice.
b.benchmarking.
c.setting objectives.
465-After making a brainstorm session for a, the next tool to be used is:
a. flow chart
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b. multivoting
c. Delphi technique
d. affinity diagram
elimination of defects.a
Zero defects.b
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The state of the art professional knowledge, the integrated, coordinated .a
.efforts, and competent technical skills
.Process indicators.a
.Performance measures.b
.Monitors.c
.Threshold measures.d
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.CEO.a
.Leaders.b
.Process owners.c
.Medical staff.d
.The CEO should assume responsibility for the analysis and action .b
The separation of a substantial whole into its constituent parts for individual .a
.study
479-What is a process?
a. A only.
b. B only.
c. C and D.
d. B and D.
a. A, B, and C.
b. A, B, and D
c. A, C, and D
d. B, C, and D
b. Flowchart.
d. Fishbone diagram.
D. Capability studies.
a. A and B only.
b. A and D only.
c. B and C only.
d. C and D only.
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:In special cause variation, the source of variation is -487
Deficient systems .a
Insufficient knowledge .b
:The following are some of the responsibilities of the quality council -496
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:The following are among the responsibilities of quality council -497
:All of the following is a true function of the quality council except -498
Determines and supports the education and training needs of the organization .a
.related to quality/PI
?Where do we want to be .c
Plan, implement change on small scale, then full scale,and gather data to to .c
.evaluate results of change
Standards of care .a
Standards of Practice .b
Clinical Algorithms .c
Practice parameters .d
A) benchmark data
B) generic screen
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C) pre-established criteria
A) monitoring
B) process
C) outcome
D) structure
D) assure that peer review physicians have no interest in cases being review
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516-A healthcare quality professional is reviewing data with a wide
range of values between the highest & the lowest points. The best way
to rank order using a:
A) line graph
D) bar graph
A) story board
C) interrelationship diagram
A) bar graph
B) control chart
C) pareto chart
D) histogram
B) senior leadership
B) a process improvement
C) an empowerment process
D) productivity enhancement
A) facilitator
C) risk management
D) senior leader
B) feasible&explainable
C) relevant& explainable
D) valid& identifiable
A) regression analysis
C) t-test
D) analysis of variance
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525-Which of the followings are measures of central tendency?
A) mean,mode,median
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A) 4
B) 6
C) 10
D) 16
A) involvement of leadership
A)best practice
B)competition
C)deficiencies
D)statistical control
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537-A reengineering effort occurred at a facility. Activities particularly
those regarding staff layoffs ,were carefully planned ,communicated
&impliminted according to the plan. One year later, the business is
stable, but staff morale is very low. A healthcare quality professional
has been asked to consult in determining where the effort went wrong.
Based on the concepts of change theory, the cause is most likely:
B)a failure to address the need of the staff who were retained
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c. A file of principal diagnosis codes.
d. A file of principal procedures.
a. Surgical log
b. Surgery index
c. A and B
d. None of the above.
a. The t-test
b. Linear regression analysis test.
c. The Chi-square test.
d. Standard deviation.
effectiveness = how the care or service would achieve z OUTCOMES not the
Goals..
appropriateness = how z care or service would be RELEVANT to z individual
s NEEDS or in accordance wz z PURPOSE WHICH = ur GOALS from the
start r they achieved ?!
548-A patient was in the operating room when a piece of a surgical instrument
broke off and was left in the patient’s body. The patient was readmitted for
removal of the foreign object. Which of the following would most likely apply
in this situation?
B. Contributory negligence
C. Contractual liability
D. Tort liability
550-In order to perform a task for which one is held accountable, there must
be an equal balance between responsibility and
A. Authority
B. Education
C. Delegation
D. Specialization
C. Prevent internal disasters that disrupt the facility’s ability to provide care
and treatment
D. Manage the consequences of disasters that disrupt the facility’s ability to
provide care
T MAGIC
A. Defects
C. La of care
D. Healthcare practice
553-__________ is a term applied when the proper clinical car process is not
executed appropriately, such as giving the wrong drug to a patient or
incorrectly administering the correct drug.
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A. Underuse
B. Overuse
C. Misuse
D. Illegal use
A. The expectation that managers will become part of the change process
B. The expectation that staff will become part of the change process
C. Viewing quality improvement as a long-term process
D. Viewing quality improvement as a short-term fix
A. patientB. physician
C. staff D. statistically
559-From the standpoint of the hospital, which one of the following best
fits all three roles of customer, processor, and supplier?
A. CEO
B. Employee
C.Patient
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D. Physician
A. 100
B. 95
C. 75
D. 66
A. I, II
B. I, III
C. II, III
D. I, II, III
564-A histogram with a twin peaks appearance is also called (n) ___
distribution.
A. bimodal
B. high variability
C. isolated peak
D. minimal variability
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571-The National Practitioner Databank was established by the ____ and
became operational in ____.
A. administrative- B. common
C. public D.statutory
A. administrativeB. common
C. public D. statutory
A. The patient has been informed of current course of medical status and
treatment
B. That the patient has been informed of the risks and benefits of various
treatment alternatives
C. The patient has been told that outcomes can be guaranteed
D. The patient has been given a professional opinion as to the best alternative
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577-Which of the following would constitute voluntary standards used
as a guideline for peer review?
578-A person who____ would NOT be covered under the Americans with
Disabilities Act of 1990.
A. identifies several new markets for the company based on strategic planning
B. advocates a one right way of doing things
C. is always pleasant with her employees
D. is well-viewed in the community
A. identify
B. know
C. appreciate
D. understand
582-In the hospital service delivery process, recent emphasis has been
on
A. admissions criteria
B. aftercare
C. continued stay criteria
D. preadmission processes
A. allocation
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B. FTE
C. mix
D. roles and responsibilities
A. appropriateness
B. effectiveness
C. efficacy
D. safety
A. appropriateness
B. availability
C. effectiveness
D. efficacy
A. effectiveness
B. efficacy
C. respect and caring
D. safety
588- Robert Smith determines that the laboratory is the cause of the
most waiting in his hospital, followed by radiology, and admissions.
When he decides to place most of his efforts to decrease wait times by
starting with the lab, he is
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A. process
B. outcome
C. structure
D. utilization
593-Quality improvement and risk management are ____ in the long run,
____ risk translates into ____ quality.
A. Claims
B. Managed care
C. Marketing
D. Operational
A. cost utilization
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B. cost minimization
C. outcomes
D. quality of life
597-The data shared between institutions to see how each one is doing
is BEST defined as ____ data
A. comparative
B. definitive
C. normative
D. relational
598-If a study has 40 true positives and 10 false negatives, then its
sensitivity is____%.
A. 8
B. 80
C. 88
D. 90
599-Our Lady Hospital, finding that 80% of its patients are poor over 65
years of age, decides to develop programs specifically for that group.
This is called
A. assessment
B. improvement
C. reiteration
D. statistical analysis
A. acentric
B. causal
C. dichotomous
D. twin
A. benchmarking
B. critical path
C. flow charting
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D. variation reduction
A. baseline performance
B. benchmarking
C. designed performance limits
D. practice guidelines and parameters
A. Fishbone diagram
B. Flowchart
C. Histogram
D. Pie chart
605-(1) Call patient by name; (2) Walk patient back to radiographic room;
(3)Perform x-ray exam; is an example of
A. flowcharting
B. improvement cycle
C. planning
D. process
A. capitated
B. nonrandomized
C. randomized
D. variated
607-Your 6 units receive patient satisfaction scores of 56, 66, 68, 70, 78,
89. What is the mean score for the group?
A. 56
B. 70
C. 71
D, 89
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608-Your 6 units receive patient satisfaction scores of 56, 66, 68, 70. 78,
89. Which of the. following are accurate representations of range?
A. I, II
B. I, III C. II, III
D. I, II, III
A. I, II
B. I, III C. II, III
D. I, II, III
A. institution based
B. private based
C. reimbursement
D. social welfare
A. identical ideas
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B. people by skill
C. people by job
D. related ideas
A. Fishbone; flow
B. Fishbone; GANTT
C. Fishbone; tree
D. GANTT; affinity
A. analyze data
B. educate and build the –team?
C. investigate the process?
D. take appropriate actions
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620-The most realistic outcome of Continuous Quality Improvement is
an
A. cost
B. risk
C. volume
D. all of the above
A. I. II
B. I, III
C. II, III
D. I, II, III
a-control chart
b-cause and effect diagram
c-interrelation ship diagram
D-pareto chart
628-quality improvement team are beneficial because they
a. risk reduction
b. risk evaluation
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c. risk identification
d. risk prevention
Medication error
a. medical record
b. claims data
c. incident report
d. performance indicators
c. confidentiality agreement
d. annual budget
Ceaserin rate
a. forming stage
b. norming stage
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c. storming stage
d. performing stage
638- In a behavioral healthcare facility, CQI team was working for one
year to decrease chemical and physical restraint. After applying the
program, the falls with subsequent injuries increased for one standard
deviation. The following action is:
run chart
control chart
A-physician involvement
b-staff education
c-QI tools
d-pt education
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A-staff willingness to change , policies . procedure,
equipment ,technology ,evaluate process ,redesign the structure , improving
of morale
c-video pt monitoring
d-EMR
645-One of the team members that keep team members on track & focus
on the process is:
A.Leader
B. Facilitator
C. Time keeper
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D. Recorder
d. Neighbor hospitals
647-aproprietness of appendectomy
preadmission test
pathology test
age
clinical test
call physician
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652-The least preferred outcome of QI:
a- empowerment
b- increased statistical data
c- increased communication between staff
d- customer satisfaction
653-A Team has been tasked with developing a program to prevent patient
falls which of the following data elements from an incident\ occurrence report
would provide the most useful information for the team in evaluating the pro -
gram success?
A-patient demographic
B-record of the time of the fall
C-nursing assessment
D-staffing ratio at the time of the fall
654-Physician asks the nurse to cancel EKG for a patiThe nurse forget
to record this cancell ent. ation & then the patient die .the physician
should
Do nothing since the cancellation is the cause of death-A
Ask the nurse to write cancellation in the medical record-B
Add an addendum to the record that the EKG had been cancelled-C
The physician add the cancelled order to the record-D
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656-which of the following is most commonly omitted from the Q. assessment
& improving:
a-reporting results of studies in a timely manner
b-determining the effectiveness of actions taken
c-defining criteria
d-delegating data collection activities
b-quality council
c-leader
d-teams
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670-Staff education in organizational change include all of the following
except:
a- negotiating process
b- project & time mangement
c- conflict resolution
d- budjeting techniques
673-the First Key to determine when u could evaluate the current status
of A Quality Improvement Program :
a-Climate for change in each department and service
b-Extent of the leadership Knowledge and Improvement in Quality Activities.
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678-All of these are considered barriers for communication except :
a-lack of interest
b-semantics
c-assumption
d-active listening
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684-The appraisal of individual practitioner performance in health care,
beyond minimum standards and criteria, is known as
A.continuous quality improvement. B.intensive analysis.
C.perceptive quality.
D.peer review.
A) monitoring
B) process
C) outcome
D) structure
d) Nursing department
a) Governing body.
b) CEO.
c) Senior managers.
A. Safe care
B. Equitable care
C. Effective care
D. Timely care
691-Crossing the Quality Chasm provided a blueprint for the future that
classified and unified the components of quality through six aims for
improvement, chain of effects, and simple rules for redesign of
healthcare. The six aims for improvement, viewed also six dimensions
of quality. Which of the following is NOT out of those dimensions?
A. Safe
B. Care centered
C. Efficient
D. Effective
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hospital, is part of the 41-hospital Catholic Healthcare West system. “We
used to replace ventilator circuit for incubated patients daily because we
thought this helped to prevent pneumonia,” explained Lee Vanderpool,
vice president. “”But the evidence shows that the more you interfere
with that device, the more often you risk introducing infection. It turns
out it is often better to leave it alone until it begins to become cloudy, or
‘gunky,’ as the nonclinicians say.” The hospital staff learned an
important lesson from this experience that:
A. Technical performance
B. Responsiveness to patient preferences
C. Excess staff
D. Amenities
so he asked about the Quality of amenities Not Quality of Care here ,,this the
difference between B and C
697-Amenities may cover areas as mentioned below EXCEPT:
701- One of the most important follow-up activities for root cause
analysis (RCA) is to review the database of previous findings internally
and compare with related external databases, if available. The purpose
is to also look for
a. common cause.
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b. special cause.
c. positive outcomes.
BeITCertified.com
707-“Likelihood of desired health outcomes” corresponds to clinicians’
view that, withrespect to outcomes, there are only probabilities, not
certainties, owing to factors-such aspatients’ genetically determined
physiological reliance-that influence:
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A. The primary concerns of patients
B. Outcomes of care and yet are beyond clinicians’ control
C. Outcomes of care and now are within clinicians’ control
D. High cost interventions
708-In fact, because patients’ satisfaction is so influenced by
__________________ ratherthan to the more indiscernible technical
ones-health maintenance organizations, hospitalsand other health care
delivery organizations have come to view the quality of nontechnical
aspects of care as crucial to attractions and retaining patients.
A. Their reactions to interpersonal and amenity aspect of care
B. Patients recognize that they do not possess the wherewithal to evaluate all
technicalelements of care
C. Every patient has definite preference in every clinical situation
D. Their likelihood of desires outcomes
A.Inspection
B.Just-In-Time Inventory
C.Defect Correction
D.Waiting
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A.The quality policy
B.The customer, core business process involved and CTQ business issues
C.The statistics work instructions
D.The procedures manual for control charting
A.Reduction of defects
B.Elimination of waste
C.Increased profits
D.All of the above
726-An early step in any project must be seeking the voice of the
internal and external customers of a project. This statement is:
A.False, because projects should only be concerned with external customers.
B.True, because both internal and external customers can be impacted
by the project.
C.True, because a project team wants to maintain good will with all
customers.
D.False, because internal projects only impact internal customers.
727-What is the best way to select six sigma projects when addressing
customer satisfaction issues?
A.Problem Focus
B.Product Focus
C.Project Cost Savings Focus
D.Process Focus
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729-Which of the following is NOT a key element of the define phase?
A.Measure
B.Process mapping
C.Project charter
1. appropriateness
2. availability
3. continuity
4. effectiveness
5. Timeliness
731-In the community health clinic, at least four complaints have been received
per month for the past four months, compared to an average of one per month
for the six prior months. The average number of patients seen per month is
2000. The trigger is >0.2%. What is the appropriate response?
a. Select a more useful indicator.
b. Perform intensive analysis now.
c. Trend for at least three more months.
d. Reward the entire staff.
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735-based on your knowledge of motivational theory ,which of the
following would most attract a job candidate
a. job description ,salary ,benefits
b.job description ,salary ,excellent working relationships
c.job description ,salary ,opportunities to advance
d. salary ,benefits ,retirement plan
736-teaching the use of QI ''process tools '' is more effective when
a.all possible tool options are covered
b. statistical process control is covered first
c. the team needing the tool is meeting together
d.watching a videotape
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D. Administrative procedure
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748-When common cause process variation is identified, the goal of
quality improvement is to:
A. Promote compliance with established procedure or protocol
B. Eliminate the variation
C. Improve practitioner competency
D. Reduce variation sufficiently to produce stability
4 8 12
5 8 12
5 9 15
6 10 18
8 11 19
a.11
b. 8
c.19
d.15
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5. What is the median?
a. 11
b. 10
c. 9
d. 8
755- The strategy for conflict resolution that emphasize facts and
finding an appropriate alternative solution, is called
a. Smoothing
b. Negation
c. Forcing
d. Discussion
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C. Temperature.
D. Mass.
771-If the score on an instrument can be related to the behavior that the
instrument was supposed to predict then it possesses ____ validity.
a) Construct.
b) Criterion.
c) Critical.
d) Face.
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777-Historically, when the level of significance has been below ____
researchers have rejected the null and declared their results statistically
significant.
a) 0.01
b) 0.02
c) 0.05
d) 0.10
a) Reporting process.
b) Designing process.
c) Implementing process.
d) Monitoring process.
784-Patient focused care deliver care services through:
a. Unit-based teams.
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b. Specialized individuals.
c. Departments.
d. Independent practitioners.
a. Managerial problems
b. Clinical problems
c. Quality problems
d. Administrative problems
789-A patient was admitted to the chest out-patient clinic of St. Mark
hospital suffering from chronic lung insufficiency, to which level of care
should the patient be referred to be placed on a ventilator
a. Emergency care.
b. Intensive care.
c. Sub-acute care.
d. Long-term care.
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790-Choosing the practitioner whether from inside or outside the
contracted network, is a privilege provided to customers of
a. HMOs.
b. PPOs.
c. Point of service.
791-A patient filed a law suit against a healthcare org. for removing his
spleen without his consent. The court stated a monetary compensation
for the patient. This action is considered:
a. Criminal liability.
b. Expanded liability.
c. Breach of duty.
d. Tort liability.
.Ambulatory care b.
.Rehabilitation c.
.Psychiatric care d.
.Denials of service c.
.LIPs' appraisal d.
.Individual assessment a.
A patient was admitted to the surgical department for elective hip -795
replacement, following surgery, the patient suffered from diabetic
coma, and stated that he is diabetic since 5 years. The investigation
revealed that the surgeon never ordered a blood analysis for the patient
:prior to surgery, this is considered
.Negligence a.
.Breach of contract b.
.Incompetence c.
.Lack of professionalism d.
:Compliance with policies and procedures can be a useful tool for -796
.Risk prediction a.
.Risk prevention b.
.Risk avoidance c.
.Risk financing d.
.Reimbursement rate d.
.Top management a.
.Organization leaders b.
800-Patient safety program must include all of the following, but the
most crucial is:
a. Identified individual or group to manage the program.
b. Defined mechanisms for support of staff responsible for the occurrence
of a sentinel event.
c. Proactive risk reduction activities.
d. Reporting mechanism.
Answer is D
Professional discipline is common, and He has to cover patient and provider
for patient he will cover: needs For provider he will cover: type of
care
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An Incremental Cost-Effectiveness Ratio is -803
A. Employee Satisfaction
C. Controlling costs
.C. assemble a team familiar with those who make medication errors
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?What are the four primary types of events related to medical error -807
Answer: C
Cause you have to calculate the risk for such procedures it will be your main
concern
To develop the organization.s patient safety culture, the CPHQ will -809
not
.mechanisms
.D. reporting systems that allow for organizational transparency with all events
a. top-level involvement.
b. collaboration.
c. prioritization.
d. competency review.
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a. provide only summary findings; all data collected remains confidential to the
department.
b. provide information only to the Medicine Department of the medical staff, to
whom the Respiratory Department reports quarterly.
c. provide the ventilator data and all ongoing monitoring activity data related to
oxygen use.
d. provide the ventilator data and initial findings to the quality professional and
the QI team.
a.under utilization
b.community backlash
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c.overutilization
d.reengineering..
a, Organization performance.
b. Staff accountability.
c. Compliance of the organization with benchmarking standards.
d. Productivity.
A. audit
B. critical pathways
C. diagnosis related groups
D. utilization review
A . save time .
B . centralize demographics .
C . reduce cost .
D . evaluate data
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823-As the Director of Quality at Hospital X, you have been appointed to
lead a team to improve patient flow through the hospital system.
At your first team meeting, some people expressed their excitement
over the new project while others were unsure of their rôles and
responsibilities. After several meetings, team members disagreed on
various issues, sometimes leading to heated debates. Cliques began to
form within the group, and some members resisted taking on more
tasks. Collective decisions were difficult to make. Over the next few
weeks, the team gradually began to respect your authority as the team
leader. As team members knew one another better, they began to work
more closely and socialize together. It is evident that the team has
developed a stronger commitment to the team goal. Meaningful
progress is finally being made but your participation is still required.
What is the term commonly used to describe the current stage of team
development?
a. Norming
b. Performing
c. Forming
d. Storming
A . a newly hired staff member who has demonstrated competence and has
time to complete the task
B . a knowledgeable staff member who works best on defined tasks
C . a motivated staff member who is actively seeking promotion
D . a competent staff member who has good interpersonal skill
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826-A well-designed patient safety program should include all of the
following EXCEPT
A. allow the consultant to establish the necessary goals for the project.
B. ask the consultant for an itemized job description that s/he will follow.
C. defer to the consultant regarding time frames and deadlines.
D. provide the consultant with an organizational chart indicating lines of
authority.
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C. participate in developing and improving a common vision of care.
D. keep the plan for each department confidential from the others.
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a. prepaid financing.
b. comprehensive services at multiple levels and settings.
c. controlled access to services.
d. broad choice of providers.
A. Administrators-Board of Directors
B. Administrators-Nursing Executives
C. Directors of Nursing-Charge Nurses
D. Charge Nurses-Registered Nurses with BSNs
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840-Being immediately responsive and attentive to a family’s concerns
following a patient’s fall in the subacute care facility is:
a-strict policy
b-performance feedback
c-customer survey
a-rapid cycle
b-organizational change
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844-In the transition from quality assurance to quality
management/quality improvement, which of the following emphases has
resulted in the most significant benefit?
a-mission,vision,values,goals,objectives
b-master plan,customer,quality initiatives
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848- patients are key customer in PI..of the following what is the most
accurate way to measure patient perception of care after completion of
treatment:
A. Dependent.
B. Secure.
C. Insecure.
D. Environmental
A. concurrent B. focused
C. prospective D. retrospective
a. objectives.
b. critical success factors.
c. goals.
d. the dashboard.
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853-The capability of the indicator to describe the feature of interest,
expresses its:
a. Credibility.
b. Reliability.
c. Validity.
d. Clarity.
a.hiring,training,appraising,firing
b.hiring,training,appraising,promoting
c.hiring,training,appraising,employee relations
d.hiring ,retaining,promoting ,appraising
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a-administer survey to evaluate org culture
b-review of performance up result
c-contract a Q.consultant to conduct review
d-walk through the org
a-parameter
b-statitsic
c-data
d-precision
a_patient perespective
b_practitioner credentialing
c_best practice
d_organization initiatives
861-In one of the first class high quality hospitals in Newcastle, Ministry
of Health yield a survey about what is the impact of safe culture of work
on the caregivers? As a quality man, What is not expected to find in the
final report of the survey?
A. The staff did not worry that their mistakes will be reported in their personnel
file.
B. The staff belief that their weakness points will not be used against them.
C. The highest percentage of staff reported that no significant adverse events
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had occurred in their setting during the past 12 months.
D. Low average composite score involved questions related to nonpunitive
response to error.
a. information system.
b. Ql team process.
c. case management process.
d. patient care management system.
869-In the large healthy Community Medical Group, one general surgeon
has an 8% rate for both superficial and deep incisional surgical site
infections for cases performed from October through March , 60 %
higher than the average for the other general surgeons in the group . in
conjunction with the medical director, what should the quality
professional do next?
a. Compare with local and national average in infection rates
b. Determine the surgeon risk-adjusted case mix and practice patterns
c. Compare with the rates of general surgeons in other surgical groups
d. Take cases to the peer review body
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879-A hospital generally has a unique structure comprised of a
“triangle” which three entities make up the triangle?
a. Governing body, administration, finance
b. Administration, department managers, medical staff
c. Governing body, administration/management, medical staff
d. Administration, medical staff, nursing
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892 In any quality management approach, how can best evaluate the
effectiveness of action taken?
a) Use the same performance measures to re-monitor the process
b) Formulate a new special study to monitor the action
c) Interview the staff involved in implementing the action plan
d) Do nothing. Effectiveness is expected with well-planned action
All the questions in the quiz along with their answers are shown below. Your
answers are bolded. The correct answers have a green tick while the incorrect
ones have a red cross.
Question 1 of 105
895- The benefits of studying a process include all of the following
EXCEPT
Answer: B
Benefits of studying a process include the following:
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Arriving at a common understanding. When Team Members work
through the recommended strategies, they gain a common understanding of
the process, start using the same terminology, and don't waste time pulling in
different directions.
Eliminating inconsistencies. When comparing how various people
associated with the process carry out their work, inconsistencies will surface.
Many of these can be traced to a lack of documentation and inadequate
training about the best way to run the process. Quality and productivity often
increase dramatically once employees who do the same job start sharing and
using a "best-known way" to do their work.
Highlighting obvious problems. Looking closely at a process almost
always highlights glaring problems that have gone unnoticed but can be easily
fixed. This is particularly true of administrative processes.
Studying a process does not directly lead to the elimination of errors.
Question 2 of 105
896-The second sponge count at the end of a hernia repair operation on
an obese patient was incorrect. This was confirmed by repeat sponge
counts, and the surgeon eventually located and retrieved the missing
sponge. The patient's recovery was uneventful.
Answer: A
This question consists of two parts. Firstly, to answer the question correctly,
you need to recognize that the incident in the Operating Room is a sentinel
event. As discussed in my article on sentinel events, this incident meets the
definition of a sentinel event because there was a significant risk that the
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sponge (a foreign body) was retained in the patient. Secondly, you are
expected to know that any sentinel event requires a thorough and credible
root cause analysis.
Content Category: Patient Safety
Cognitive level required for a response: Analysis
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Perform or coordinate risk management
Question 3 of 105
897- A point prevalence survey in 2010 showed that the overall
prevalence proportion of healthcare-associated infections in a hospital
system was 7.3%. In 1990, the prevalence proportion was 8.1%. A
hypothesis test for the difference between the two prevalence
proportions gave a P-value of 0.029.
Answer: B
The prevalence of healthcare-associated infections is lower in 2010 than in
1990. Therefore, the third answer option (C ) should be eliminated. The final
answer option (D) is ambiguous -the term "slight" carries no meaning in
statistics or in healthcare quality. Some candidates might have chosen the
first answer option because the P-value was lower than 0.05. However, the
level of significance for the hypothesis test was not stated. It could have been
0.01 (in which case it would not have been a "significant result") or 0.10 (in
which case it would have been significant). The most accurate interpretation
of the result is this: the prevalence of healthcare-associated infections in 2010
is lower than that in 1990, but there is a small (2.9% probability) that the result
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would have been observed, due to chance, if there was in truth no difference
between the two prevalences. The correct answer for this question is B.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use the results of statistical techniques to evaluate data (e.g. t-test,
regression)
Question 4 of 105
898- Which of the following is most effective in communicating
instructions to patients before their discharge from hospital?
Answer: D
Each of the four communication strategies above could be applied. However,
"teach back" (answer option D) is probably the most effective technique to
communicate instructions to patients. According to the Agency for Healthcare
Research and Quality (2001) report Making Health Care Safer, "Asking that
patients recall and restate what they have been told" is one of 11 top patient
safety practices based on strength of scientific evidence.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate evaluation or selection of evidence-based practice
guidelines (e.g. for standing orders or as guidelines for physician ordering
practice)
Question 5 of 105
899- Among the following factors, competency assessment of staff is
LEAST influenced by data related to
A. productivity.
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B. feedback from patients, families, and staff.
C. performance improvement findings relative to performance standards
in the job description.
D. knowledge of administrative policies and procedures.
Question was not answered.
Answer: D
The first three answer options support staff competency assessment. Whilst
knowledge of administrative policies and procedures may be required for
some jobs, the other factors are stronger in evaluating an employee's
competency and skill gaps.
Question 6 of 105
900-The senior leaders of a managed care organization have consulted a
healthcare quality professional on the purchase of a clinical data
management software system to support performance improvement.
Answer: C
All the answer choices play a part in identifying the system requirements but
the primary issue, at least at the beginning of the software selection process,
is identifying the goals and objectives of the new data management system.
Answer: B
For this project, the number of new patient visits and individual panel size (i.e.
number of unique patients for which a physician is responsible) are process
measures. Office visit cycle time, i.e. the length of time that a patient spends
at an office visit, is possibly another outcome measure for this project.
A "balancing measure" is one used to make sure that any changes introduced
during the project to improve one part of the system are not causing new
problems in other parts of the same system. In this case, by reducing the time
to the "third next available" appointment, staff could possibly be stretched too
thin and their response to telephone calls may become less satisfactory.
Question 8 of 105
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902-A licensed independent practitioner with admitting privilege at a
hospital must
Answer: C
A licensed independent practitioner with admitting privilege MUST be a
member of the medical staff. In some organizations, the medical staff may
include professionals other than medical doctors (MD, MBBS, DO, etc.).
Examples of the latter are dentists, clinical psychologists, and podiatrists.
Therefore, the first answer option (A) is not the best answer. Eligibility for
medical staff membership implies that the individual has not yet been
appointed. Proctoring is usually required for a predefined period after the
initial appointment. In many organizations, completion of proctoring is not
required for admitting privilege.
Question 9 of 105
903- In your capacity as the Director of Quality and Patient Safety at a
1600-bed tertiary referral center, you are consulted to assist in the
development of a balanced scorecard.
A. Financial.
B. External Business Processes.
C. Customer.
D. Learning and Growth.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
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The 4 classic "perspectives" of the balanced score card are: "Financial",
"Customer", "Internal Business Processes", and "Learning and Growth". See
this article on the Balanced Scorecard Framework for more information.
Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Develop and use performance measures (e.g. balanced scorecards,
dashboards, core measures)
Question 10 of 105
904-To assess their job satisfaction, 32 nurses on a Med-Surg ward were
given a self-administered questionnaire. One of the items on the
questionnaire was a self-rating of job satisfaction on a Likert scale (1 =
Very Dissatisfied, 10 = Very Satisfied).
Answer: D
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The scatter plot (one of the 7 Basic Tools of Quality) describes the association
between two variables. This is a summary of scatter plots, which also explains
the correct answer.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use basic statistical techniques to describe data (e.g. mean, standard
deviation)
Question 11 of 105
905-The number of productive hours worked by nursing staff with direct
patient care responsibilities per patient day is a
A. structural measure.
B. process measure.
C. outcome measure.
D. composite measure.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
Structural measures reflect the conditions in which providers care for patients.
Process measures show the degree to which evidence-based steps in care
processes are followed. Outcome measures look at the results of care.
Composite measures combine the result of multiple performance measures to
provide a more comprehensive picture of quality care. You might like to read
our article on assessing the quality of care.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate development or selection of process and outcome measures
Question 12 of 105
906-In your capacity as the Director of Quality at an 800-bed
multidisciplinary hospital, you are consulted on how best to reduce
complication rates while reducing length of stay and cutting overall
costs for total hip replacement.
Provided none of the following has already been attempted, the best
option is
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A. to identify the causes for the unacceptable complication rates, high
lengths of stay and rising costs related to total hip replacement.
B. a clinical pathway.
C. to analyse the data and confirm that total hip replacement is associated
with unreasonable rates of complications, and higher-than-expected lengths
of stay and costs.
D. to review, and revise if necessary, all existing policies and procedures
for total hip replacement.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
There is no indication that the complication rates, length or stay or overall
costs are unacceptable or above the average. Therefore, answer options A
and C are not appropriate. Between the other two choices, B is the better
answer. Merely reviewing policies and procedures rarely improves the
outcomes considered in this question. See our article on clinical pathways for
an explanation.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Participate in the development of clinical/critical pathways or
guidelines
Question 13 of 105
907-The senior leaders of a hospital are prioritizing performance
improvement initiatives for the coming year.
Which of the following tools will be most useful for this purpose?
A. Pareto chart
B. Cause-and-effect diagram
C. Affinity diagram
D. Stratification
Answer: A
The most useful tool would likely be a Pareto chart. A cause-and-effect
diagram is useful for identifying possible causes of a problem. An affinity
diagram is useful for brainstorming and therefore not relevant in this
situation. Stratification is unlikely to be appropriate in this scenario.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
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Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate establishment of priorities for process improvement activities
Question 14 of 105
908-Which of the following graphs is most appropriate in displaying the
root causes of adverse events that have occurred in a hospital system
over the past 10 years?
A. Histogram
B. Frequency polygon
C. Line chart
D. Bar chart
Question was not answered.
Answer: D
Root causes are qualitative data. Therefore, a correct way to summarize them
is by using a bar chart. Another acceptable way of displaying the data would
be via a pie chart (but a bar chart is preferable). A line chart, histogram or
frequency polygon may be used for quantitative data. See our article
ongraphing frequency distributions for more details. Page 46 of Improving
America’s Hospitals: The Joint Commission’s Annual Report on Quality and
Safety 2007 illustrates how bar charts can effectively display data on root
causes of sentinel events.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Compile and write performance improvement reports
Question 15 of 105
909-A series of poor surgical outcomes at a small community hospital
led to an investigation which eventually found that the vast majority of
recent failed surgeries were conducted by only one surgeon. The
"surgeon" was subsequently discovered to have forged his medical
qualifications and had been impersonating a doctor for the previous 8
months. He is currently awaiting trial on charges in connection with the
surgeries he performed at the hospital.
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A. to assist in the criminal prosecution of the alleged perpetrator.
B. to identify other licensed independent practitioners whose qualifications
had been forged.
C. to facilitate a review of the credentialing and privileging process.
D. to review policies and procedures related to surgical procedures so that
patient safety may be improved.
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
The healthcare quality professional's primary role in such a case is to help
improve processes. A credentials committee is usually responsible for
reviewing the qualifications of medical staff applicants/members, not the
healthcare quality professional. A review of policies and procedures related to
surgery is unlikely to prevent unqualified practitioners from operating in the
future.
Question 16 of 105
910-The chart below shows the overall inpatient mortality at a hospital.
Answer: D
As explained in our article on using run charts, identification of special cause
variation - both good and bad - follows the criteria listed. In this case, there is
no clear run/shift, trend or pattern in the run chart. In the absence of evidence
of special cause variation, it is best to continue tracking the measure. The
actions in the other answer options are not appropriate without any further
information. However, if the next data point is below the median line, I would
call it a run/shift and therefore try to understand why this has occurred. It is
possible that something significant occurred around or before January 2010 to
account for the start of this run, e.g. change of management, introduction of
strategic improvement initiatives, etc.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use or coordinate the use of statistical process control components
(e.g. common and special cause variation, random variation, trend analysis)
Question 17 of 105
911-The senior leaders of a hospital system were interested to learn
whether inpatient deaths were associated with after hours admission.
Therefore, a random sample of patients who had died in hospital and a
representative group of patients who did not die were selected.
Subsequently, the times of their hospital admission were analysed.
A. Rate ratio
B. Odds ratio
C. Risk ratio
D. Risk incidence
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
This is an example of a case-control study. As discussed in our article
on overview of study design, we start by identifying individual cases of the
outcome of interest. We then identify a representative group of individuals
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who do not have the outcome. These individuals act as controls. We then
compare cases and controls to assess whether there were any differences in
their past exposure to one or more possible risk factors. The most appropriate
measure of effect for case-control studies is the odds ratio.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use epidemiological theory in data collection and analysis
Question 18 of 105
912-Which of the following sampling methods should a healthcare
quality professional use to obtain the most precise estimate of the
prevalence of pressure ulcers in a 900-bed multi-disciplinary tertiary
care facility?
Answer: C
For this heterogeneous hospital population, the most precise estimate of
pressure ulcer prevalence will be obtained by stratified simple random
sampling (unless the sample is very large). See our article on complex
sampling methods for more information.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use epidemiological theory in data collection and analysis
Question 19 of 105
913-In examining the association between inpatient mortality and after
hours admission, the healthcare quality professional was interested to
find out whether the distance between patients' place of residence and
the hospital might be a confounding variable.
Which of the following methods can she use to determine whether the
association between inpatient mortality and after hours admission was
confounded?
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A. ANOVA
B. Stratification
C. Chi-squared test
D. Student's t-test
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
This article on confounding explains the use of stratification to control for
confounding.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use epidemiological theory in data collection and analysis
Question 20 of 105
914-One of the aims in the treatment of severe community-acquired
pneumonia is to maintain an oxygen saturation of >94% (or 88 - 92% in
patients with chronic obstructive airway disease). Ensuring adequate
oxygenation for this condition is a
Answer: C
Please refer to our article on structure, process and outcomes for an
explanation of the answer.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate development or selection of process and outcome measures
Question 21 of 105
915-Senior leaders of an organization can promote quality by
A. executive walkarounds.
B. micromanagement to demonstrate a hands-on approach.
C. encouraging staff to set their own expectations so that they can meet
them.
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D. focusing on the financial position, reputation and lay management of
the hospital.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
Senior leaders can improve quality, especially patient safety, by executive
walkarounds. Micromanagement is generally frowned upon. Leaders should
set expectations for staff. Traditionally, senior leaders focused on finance,
reputation and lay (non-clinical) management but modern quality
management requires their active participation.
Question 22 of 105
916-The chart below shows the rate of Cesarean Sections in a hospital.
Answer: B
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There is a rise in the rate of Cesarean Sections and the final 7 consecutive
data points form a run/shift. A rise in the Cesarean Section rate is not
desirable and should be investigated. The healthcare quality professional is
not responsible for determining whether the procedure was medically
indicated - this is done by peer review. Reviewing policies and procedures
alone rarely helps in situations like this. Antenatal care may be a contributing
factor - this is evaluated during peer review.
Question 23 of 105
917-A randomized controlled trial was conducted to assess the
effectiveness of a multimedia patient education program designed to
help prevent falls in a hospital. The following results were obtained:
A. 2.3
B. 1.3
C. 0.77
D. -2.3
Answer: C
The rate ratio is the ratio of the incidence rate in the exposed (intervention)
population to the incidence rate in the unexposed (control) population. In this
case, the rate ratio = 7.5/9.8 = 0.77. See our article on difference and ratio
measures for more information.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Aggregate/summarize data for analysis
Question 24 of 105
918-In participative management,
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A. the leader attempts to sell his/her decisions to the group.
B. the leader makes decisions and announces them to the group with
minimal participation from group members.
C. few decisions are made.
D. the leader presents a tentative decision, elicits suggestions from
group members, and then makes the final decision.
Answer: D
See this brief description on participatory management style for an
explanation of the answer.
Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate change within the organization
Question 25 of 105
919-The Process Management area of the Baldrige Health Care Criteria
for Performance Excellence addresses each of the following EXCEPT
A. healthcare processes.
B. support processes.
C. operational planning.
D. strategic planning.
Question was not answered.
Answer: D
The Process Management category includes healthcare processes, support
processes and operational planning, but not specifically strategic planning
(though the latter is somewhat related to the first three areas).
Question 26 of 105
920-A healthcare quality professional examined the relationship
between the rate of adverse patient occurrences and duration of overall
medical practice among physicians in a hospital. In the analysis, the
computed value of r was 0.8139.
The healthcare quality professional concluded that there is a
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A. moderate positive relationship between the rate of adverse patient
occurrences and duration of medical practice.
B. strong positive relationship between the rate of adverse patient
occurrences and duration of medical practice.
C. moderate negative relationship between the rate of adverse patient
occurrences and duration of medical practice.
D. strong negative relationship between the rate of adverse patient
occurrences and duration of medical practice.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
The letter r stands for the correlation coefficient. A value of 0.8 or above is
generally considered strong and a positive value indicates a positive
relationship. See our article on scatter plots and correlation for more details.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use the results of statistical techniques to evaluate data (e.g. t-test,
regression)
Question 27 of 105
921-Clinical decision support software is an example of
A. external memory.
B. a server.
C. artificial intelligence.
D. mass storage.
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
You should be familiar with some common terms used in computerized
systems as they are necessary for evaluating such systems and using them.
See this brief description of Clinical Decision Support.
Content Category: Patient Safety
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Evaluate computerized systems for data collection and analysis
Question 28 of 105
921-The main purpose of performance improvement in healthcare is to
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A. improve patient outcomes.
B. enhance patient and family satisfaction.
C. improve processes of care.
D. meet accreditation standards.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
A general definition of performance improvement is "a planned, systematic,
organizationwide approach to the monitoring, analysis, and improvement of
organization performance, thereby continually improving the quality of patient
care and services provided and the likelihood of desired patient outcomes."
Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Develop a performance improvement plan
Question 29 of 105
922-For a patient with insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, which of the
following programs is the most appropriate to administer?
A. Disease management
B. Utilization management
C. Demand management
D. Risk management
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
Disease management is defined as "a system of coordinated health care
interventions and communications for populations with conditions in which
patient self-care efforts are significant. It is the process of reducing healthcare
costs and/or improving quality of life for individuals by preventing or
minimizing the effects of a disease, usually a chronic condition, through
integrative care."
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Demand management involves the use of decision and behaviour support
systems to appropriately influence individual patients' decisions about
whether, when, where, and how to access medical services.
Question 30 of 105
923-Impressed by what he saw at a healthcare conference, the Chief
Executive Officer decided to adopt Lean Six Sigma as the hospital's new
approach to process improvement.
If the desired results are not achieved, which of the following is the most
likely reason for this?
Answer: B
All of the above contribute to failure of quality improvement initiatives.
However, the commonest problem is lack of senior management support. It's
common for a senior member of staff liking the idea of introducing something
they had heard about but not understanding what it takes to achieve success.
This often leads to disillusionment later and subsequent failure of projects. All
improvement requires investment in resources - time, people, skills
development, money, etc. - and leaders need to be aware of this before
committing to new methods.
Question 31 of 105
924-The prevalence of pressure ulcers in an acute-care facility is 18.3%.
The healthcare quality professional obtained information that the
prevalence of pressure ulcers across 420 acute care hospitals in the
state was 14.8%. For the purpose of improvement in her hospital, the
latter figure (14.8%) is best regarded as
A. a benchmark.
B. a goal.
C. a comparison.
D. an estimate.
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
The figure of 14.8% is an "average" of the measure across the hospitals. It's
not a "benchmark", which relates to best practice. The figure may be a "goal"
and is certainly an "estimate" but the BEST description is a "comparison".
Question 32 of 105
925-The Body Mass Index (a measure of body fat) was measured in a
group of women attending a primary care clinic. The graph below
summarizes the results.
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Which of the following measures best summarizes the data?
A. Mean
B. Mode
C. Median
D. Range
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
The relative frequency distribution is skewed (to the right). The median is the
most appropriate summary measure for skewed distributions. Read our article
on measures of location for more details.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use basic statistical techniques to describe data (e.g. mean, standard
deviation)
Question 33 of 105
926-Which of the following is NOT a key concept of Total Quality
Management?
A. Waste elimination
B. Customer focus
C. Process centered
D. Continual improvement
Question was not answered.
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Answer: A
See this resource on Total Quality Management for more information.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Develop organizational performance improvement training (e.g.
quality, patient safety)
Question 34 of 105
927-Which of the following is the first step in implementing lean
management effectively in a hospital?
Answer: A
The first step in successful lean implementation in an organization is senior
leadership creating an organizational culture that is receptive to lean thinking.
Question 35 of 105
928-When a healthcare quality professional plotted data on patients' age
in a frequency histogram, she found a negatively skewed distribution.
Therefore,
A. the median is greater than the mean and the mode is greater than the
median.
B. the mean is greater than the median and the median is greater than the
mode.
C. the mode is greater than the mean and the median is greater than the
mode.
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D. the mean is greater than the mode and the mode is greater than the
median.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
For a negatively skewed distribution, the mode is greater than the median,
which is, in turn, greater than the mean. Below are illustrations of the relative
values of the mean, median and mode for both negatively skewed and
positively skewed distributions.
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Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use basic statistical techniques to describe data (e.g. mean, standard
deviation)
Question 36 of 105
929-Which of the following is the most likely cause of medication errors
in an acute care facility?
Answer: B
Medication errors, like other patient safety incidents, are thought to be due to
systems failure. James Reason's Swiss cheese model of system accidents is
discussed in the following article:
http://www.bmj.com/content/320/7237/768.full
The other answer options give factors that contribute to medication errors but
"systems failure" is the best answer.
Question 37 of 105
930-Which of the following tools is most useful in identifying ways to
shorten nurses' walking time from one activity to another in a hospital
ward?
A. Pareto chart
B. Ishikawa diagram
C. Spaghetti diagram
D. Control chart
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
A Pareto chart is used to identify the most frequent or impactful problems or
causes of problems.
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An Ishikawa diagram, or cause-and-effect diagram, is a tool for identifying and
organizing the possible causes of a problem.
"The spaghetti diagram is a tool to help you establish the optimum layout for a
department or ward based on observations of the distances travelled by
patients, staff or products, e.g. x-rays. Spaghetti diagrams expose inefficient
layouts and identify large distances travelled between key steps."
A control chart is a time plot that indicates the rage of variation built into the
system.
Of these four tools, a spaghetti diagram would be the most useful in this case.
The spaghetti diagram is often used with other tools and techniques, e.g.
process mapping. Below is an example of a spaghetti diagram.
Question 38 of 105
931-A healthcare quality professional can best display the distribution of
48 data points on waiting times in an ambulatory care clinic using a
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A. stem-and-leaf plot.
B. bar chart.
C. scatter diagram.
D. run chart.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
A stem-and-leaf plot, or stem-plot, is a tool for presenting quantitative data in
a graphical format. Like a histogram, it provides information on the shape of a
distribution. A bar chart, scatter diagram, and run chart are not appropriate in
presenting the distribution of data points.
Question 40 of 105
932-A 37 year old woman who underwent mechanical aortic valve
replacement was discharged on warfarin (coumadin). The target
International Normalized Ratio (INR) was 3.0–3.5. She developed a
severe pneumonia two weeks later and was readmitted to hospital, at
which time her INR was found to be 8.3.
A. inform the reporting staff member that cases of elevated INR levels
need not be reported.
B. conduct root cause analysis.
C. check if the patient received predischarge medication counseling.
D. continue monitoring reports of elevated INR levels.
Answer: C
This patient's elevated INR was most likely related to her pneumonia or the
medications used to treat it before her readmission. However, a high INR is a
potentially fatal and preventable condition - it should be reported. Root cause
analysis (RCA) is not appropriate in this case - conducting RCA on all cases
of elevated INR levels would not make the best use of available resources. It
is probably useful to determine whether the patient received the necessary
counseling about her discharge medications, including warfarin. This could
uncover opportunities for improvement in the predischarge medication
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counseling process. Data on elevated INR levels should be collected and
aggregated. However, between answer options C and D, C is the better
answer.
Question 41 of 105
933-Common causes of process variation refer to causes of variation
that
Answer: B
"Common causes" are chronic and persistent. Answer options A, C, and D are
features of "special causes".
Question 42 of 105
934-Cross-sectional studies
Answer: D
For more information about cross-sectional studies, read our article on study
design.
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Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use epidemiological theory in data collection and analysis
Question 43 of 105
935-Concerning the surgical "time-out", which of the following
statements is FALSE?
Answer: D
A "time-out" just before starting a surgical procedure, to ensure the correct
patient, procedure and body part, is part of The Joint Commission's Universal
Protocol and is a requirement for one of JCI's International Patient Safety
Goals (Eliminate Wrong-site, Wrong-patient, Wrong-procedure Surgery). The
surgical "time-out" reduces the risk of wrong-site surgery and other
preventable surgical mistakes, and is a component of the WHO Safe Surgery
Checklist. The "time-out" should involve the entire operative team, but not
necessarily the patient (who may be under general anaesthesia when "time-
out" is performed").
Content Category: Patient Safety
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Integrate patient safety goals into organizational activities (e.g. Joint
Commission, JCI, NQF, IHI)
Question 44 of 105
936-Leaders of a multi-hospital system are trying to prioritize the
services to introduce in the coming year based on their impact on the
community. These leaders, who work geographically apart, can arrive at
a group consensus without meeting face to face by
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C. brainstorming.
D. a focus group.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
Among the four answer options (in their original iterations), only the Delphi
technique does not require face-to-face meetings.
Question 45 of 105
937-Following a serious adverse event, a hospital decided to pursue a
negotiated settlement. Which of the following would most likely apply in
this situation?
A. Tort liability
B. Contributory negligence
C. Contractual liability
D. Res ipsa loquitur
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
Tort liability is a sort of insurance coverage that takes effect when a court
determines that damage (in some form or other) was caused by negligence
on the part of the defendant. In this case, tort liability does not apply as it was
an out-of-court settlement, i.e. it did not involve the courts. There is no
information in the question that suggests contributory negligence. Contractual
liability for negligent treatment is likely to be applicable in this case - when a
patient is admitted for care, he/she and the hospital enter into a contractual
relationship. Res ipsa loquitor is not relevant in this case.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Perform or coordinate risk management
Question 46 of 105
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938-A hospital purchases additional malpractice insurance and general
tort liability insurance prior to introducing a pediatric heart surgery
program. This is an example of
A. risk transfer.
B. risk avoidance.
C. risk reduction.
D. risk retention.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
Risk transfer, or risk sharing, means transferring the burden of loss (or the
benefit of gain) from a risk to another party (which, in this case, is an insurer).
Risk avoidance means not conducting the activity that carries the risk. Risk
reduction involves reducing the severity of the loss and/or the likelihood of the
loss occurring. Risk retention means accepting the loss, or benefit of gain,
from a risk when it occurs.
Question 47 of 105
939-The Chief Executive Officer of an acute care facility wishes to know
the difference between Total Quality Management (TQM) and Six Sigma.
A. TQM can be implemented on its own while the benefits of Six Sigma
can only be realized when it is combined with Lean methods.
B. TQM loosely monitors progress toward goals whereas Six Sigma
ensures that investment in quality produces the expected return.
C. TQM focuses on compliance with performance standards. Six Sigma
focuses on world class performance.
D. TQM is a management philosophy whereas Six Sigma is a tool to
reduce variation in a product or process.
Question was not answered.
Answer: D
Only answer option D provides a true statement.
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Six Sigma has been used successfully without Lean methods by numerous
organizations.
Question 48 of 105
940-The following table shows the risk-adjusted Acute Myocardial
Infarction (AMI) inpatient mortality for 10 different hospitals in 2009:
A. 4.7%
B. 8.2%
C. 8.5%
D. 10.4%
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
Benchmarking is based on identifying best practices. In this case, the
benchmark is the lowest AMI inpatient mortality rate, i.e. 4.7%.
Question 49 of 105
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941-A hospitalized patient died shortly after being administered with
medication intended for another patient. Which of the following tools is
most appropriate for facilitating root cause analysis?
A. Barrier analysis
B. Prioritization matrix
C. Pie chart
D. Pareto chart
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
Root cause analysis following an adverse event is commonly facilitated by a
fishbone diagram, also known as a cause-and-effect diagram or Ishikawa
diagram. However, this is not one of the answer options.
Question 50 of 105
942-In the second half of 2008, the inpatient fall rate at Hospital X was
above 15 falls per 1000 patient-days. A multidisciplinary team
commenced an initiative to lower the rate of inpatient falls in February
2009. The historical average in the 10 years before 2008 was 6.6 falls per
1000 patient-days and the target for this initiative was 5.0 falls per 1000
patient-days. The results of this improvement work are shown in the
graph below.
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Which of the following is the most appropriate next step?
Answer: B
Patient falls are reportable events in a hospital and should therefore be
tracked by the event reporting system. Patient falls in Hospital X should
continue to be monitored - this is the best answer. It is unlikely that the
improvement team can reduce the inpatient fall rate any further, having
achieved improvement beyond the target and well below the historical
average. Lowering the target, likewise, is unlikely to be beneficial.
Question 51 of 105
943-The dimension of quality/performance that is addressed by
introducing a rapid response team in a hospital is
A. continuity of care.
B. efficiency.
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C. effectiveness.
D. prevention and early detection.
Question was not answered.
Answer: D
A rapid response team, also known as a medical emergency team, "is a team
of clinicians who bring critical care expertise to the bedside". Their primary
purpose is to identify unstable patients and those patients likely to suffer
cardiac or respiratory arrest, and prevent their unnecessary deaths.
Question 52 of 105
944-In analyzing data, the healthcare quality professional can minimize
the risk of interpreting noise as if it were a signal AND minimize the risk
of failing to detect a signal when it is present by using a
A. run chart.
B. control chart.
C. specifying a target.
D. comparing data to average values.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
Both the run chart and control chart describe or define the "voice of the
process", whereas specifications (answer options C and D) define the "voice
of the customer".
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The distinction between signals and noise is the foundation for every
meaningful analysis of data. It also defines two mistakes which can be made
when attempting to analyze data. The first mistake is that of interpreting
random variation as a meaningful departure from the past—interpreting noise
as if it were a signal. The second mistake consists of not recognizing when a
change has occurred in a process—failing to detect a signal when it is
present. This mistake is most often found in conjunction with the specification
approach to analysis. The underlying process changes, but the values are still
within the specification limits, so no one notices.
Clearly, one may avoid the first mistake by never reacting to any value as if it
were a signal, but this would guarantee many mistakes of the second kind.
Likewise, one may avoid the second type of mistake by reacting to every point
as if it were a signal, but this guarantees many mistakes of the first kind.
The control chart approach strikes a balance between the two errors. The use
of control limits to filter out the noise will minimize the occurrence of both
types of errors.
Question 53 of 105
945-From a quality perspective, which of the following is the BEST way
to control costs in healthcare?
Answer: A
Past approaches to controlling costs in healthcare have included across-the-
board budget cuts, hiring/salary freezes, and even laying off of staff. However,
from a quality perspective, the best way to cut costs is by identifying and
eliminating muda (waste), of which there is plenty. Improving customer
satisfaction will not directly lead to reduced costs.
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Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Demonstrate financial benefits of a quality program
Question 54 of 105
946-The odds ratio of an outcome
Answer: B
The odds ratio of an outcome compares the odds of having a particular
outcome (not the number of cases) in a population exposed to a suspected
risk factor with the odds in a population not exposed. When the outcome of
interest is rare, the odds ratio is approximately equal to the risk ratio (the "rare
disease assumption"). The odds ratio is also used in cross-sectional studies.
Question 55 of 105
947-Which of the following tools is most appropriate for investigating
the relationship between two characteristics?
A. Scatter plot
B. Cause-and-effect diagram
C. Failure modes and effects analysis
D. Pareto chart
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
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Of the four answer options, a scatter diagram is the most appropriate tool to
evaluate the relationship between two variables. Cause-and-effect diagrams
help to identify and organize the possible causes of a problem in a structured
format. Failure modes and effects and analysis is used to anticipate possible
process or product failures and the risks associated with these failures. A
Pareto chart is used to identify the most frequent or impactful problems or
causes of problems.
Question 56 of 105
948- Updated guidelines to prevent falls in the elderly state that patients
with no evidence or history of gait problems or recurrent falls do not
require a fall risk assessment. In this case, asking older patients if they
have fallen recently or if their gait is unsteady is a form of
A. surveillance.
B. screening.
C. diagnosis.
D. monitoring.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
Surveillance, like monitoring, refers to an ongoing activity to detect changes in
trends or distribution of a disease or behaviours leading to an increased risk
of a disease/outcome, with the aim of facilitating disease/outcome control.
The activity in this case is not ongoing (for any particular individual) and
therefore cannot be called surveillance or monitoring.
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Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Perform or coordinate risk management: risk prevention
Question 57 of 105
949-In an improvement project to reduce the wait times in an Emergency
Room, the time taken to be assessed by a physician is
A. a process measure.
B. an outcome measure.
C. a structure measure.
D. not a suitable measure.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
In reducing wait times in an Emergency Room, one of the key steps is to
reduce the door-to-physician time. It is, therefore, a process measure. It is not
an outcome measure because physician assessment is only one of the steps
in the process that will lead to the final outcome - discharge from the
Emergency Room (to a bed in the hospital, home or other facility).
Question 58 of 105
950-Overall responsibility for an improvement project lies with the
A. Facilitator.
B. Sponsor.
C. Team Leader.
D. Team Members.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
The Sponsor/Champion maintains overall responsibility, authority, and
accountability for an improvement project.
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Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Identify champions (e.g. process owners, quality, patient safety)
Question 59 of 105
951-In improvement work, a constraint is
A. a factor that will prevent the team from achieving its goal.
B. a factor that can be easily changed.
C. a factor that will limit the options the team can realistically consider.
D. a factor that is not easily changed but changing it will help the team's
progress.
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
A constraint is an unchangeable factor that will limit the options the team can
realistically consider. Examples of real constraints are:
Available budget
Written or unwritten rules (sacred cows or taboos)
Present technical ability of Team Members and other involved parties
Factions, rivalries, or ongoing issues between individuals or groups
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate performance improvement teams
Question 60 of 105
952-A team was involved in an initiative to improve care for acute
myocardial infarction (AMI) in an acute care facility from January 2008 to
September 2009. Some of the data collected are shown in the two
graphs below.
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Upon reviewing the data in October 2009, the Director of Quality should
recommend
Answer: D
From time to time, data might appear highly implausible, as in this case. The
data suggest no improvement in the early administration of aspirin from
January 2008 - July 2009, and perhaps some improvement in the AMI
inpatient mortality rate from mid 2009. However, it is very unlikely that the
early administration of aspirin reached 100% for the last two (consecutive)
months, i.e. August and September 2009, so dramatically (i.e. relative to prior
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performance). Likewise, it is highly improbable that the AMI inpatient mortality
rate was zero for two consecutive months, given the past data.
Question 61 of 105
953-On a rheumatology ward of a hospital, a nurse accidentally
administered 20 mg of methotrexate to a patient instead of the
prescribed 7.5mg. When interviewed later, the nurse explained that she
was accustomed to administering 20 mg of methotrexate to patients on
the ward and that she was extremely busy on the morning that she
committed the error.
This is an example of a
A. slip.
B. lapse.
C. knowledge-based error.
D. rule-based error.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
Slips relate to observable actions and are commonly associated with
attentional or perceptual failures. Lapses are internal events that generally
involve failures of memory. Both slips and lapses are errors in the
performance of skill-based behaviours, typically when attention is diverted.
Knowledge-based errors occur when solving novel problems—this might
occur in an inexperienced or junior professional or someone with a "biased
memory". Rule-based errors occur when the wrong rule is applied for a given
situation, e.g. choosing the wrong arm of a clinical algorithm.
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Content Category: Patient Safety
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Perform or coordinate risk management
Question 62 of 105
954-According to the Law of Diffusion of Innovations, the highest rate of
rise in innovation diffusion occurs among the
A. innovators.
B. early adopters.
C. early majority.
D. late majority.
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
According to the Diffusion of Innovation theory, the adopter categories are:
innovators
early adopters
early majority
late majority
laggards
The rates of adoption for innovations are determined by an individual’s
adopter category. As illustrated in the graph below, the rate of rise in
innovation diffusion is highest among the early majority (represented by the
steepest part of the S-shaped cumulative frequency distribution curve).
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Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate change within the organization
Question 63 of 105
955-A team is evaluating a new screening questionnaire to anticipate
delayed discharge from hospital following hip replacement surgery. The
following table shows the results of using the tool:
A. 0.33
B. 0.50
C. 0.66
D. 0.75
Question was not answered.
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Answer: D
The negative predictive value (NPV) is the proportion of patients with a
negative test result who do not have the outcome of interest.
Question 64 of 70
956-A healthcare professional has been consulted to evaluate the
average monthly waiting time at an orthopaedic clinic over the past 15
months. Which of the following charts indicate that waiting time is NOT
potentially "out of control"?
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A. Chart A
B. Chart B
C. Chart C
D. Chart D
Answer: C
Applying Nelson Rules, only Chart C does not meet any of the 8 rules. Chart
A has two out of three points in a row that are more than 2 standard
deviations from the mean in the same direction. Chart B has fifteen points in a
row all within 1 standard deviation of the mean on either side of the mean.
Chart D has nine points in a row on the same side of the mean.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Analysis
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use or coordinate the use of statistical process control components
(e.g. common and special cause variation, random variation, trend analysis)
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Question 65 of 105
957-The Quality Manager of a hospital is using Nelson rules to
determine whether the rate of sharps injuries is out of control. After
reviewing the data, she realizes that one "rule" is missing and proceeds
to include it in her analysis. In doing so, she increases the risk of a
A. Type I error
B. Type II error
C. Standard error
D. Sampling error
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
Nelson rules are used to determine if some measured variable is out of
control. Selecting rules once the data have been reviewed increases the risk
of a “false positive”, i.e. concluding that there is special-cause variation when
in truth there is none. This is a Type I error. A Type II error, in this context,
occurs when one concludes there is no special-cause variation when in truth it
exists. "The standard error of a method of measurement or estimation is the
standard deviation of the sampling distribution associated with the estimation
method." Sampling is not relevant in this case.
Question 66 of 105
958-Which of the following is an example of a continuous variable?
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The rate of adverse events is a continuous variable—it can take on almost
any value, e.g. 40.1 adverse events/1000 patient-days, 40.2, 40.3,... 41.0,
41.1, etc.
The number of hospital admissions can take on a finite number of values, e.g.
1500, 1501, 1502, etc. (and not 1500.1, 1500.2,... ), and is therefore a
discrete variable.
Question 67 of 105
959-Salaries are included in the
A. operating budget.
B. capital budget.
C. cash budget.
D. ongoing budget.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
There are three kinds of budgets: operating budget, cash budget, and capital
budget. Salaries are included in the operating budget.
Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Participate in developing and managing a budget for a department
Question 68 of 105
960-In strategic planning, critical success factors
Answer: D
Answer option A describes the organization's goals. Answer option B
describes the organization's vision statement. Between options C and D, the
latter is the better answer.
Question 69 of 105
961-In 2009, Hospital A reported the following figures:
Answer: B
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The incidence rate is the number of new cases per population in a given time
period. In this case, the denominator is the sum of the person-time of the "at-
risk" population (number admissions × ALOS). Read our article "Measures of
Occurrence".
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Analysis
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use epidemiological theory in data collection and analysis
Question 70 of 105
962-Which of the following are measures of dispersion?
Answer: D
The range is the simplest measure of dispersion. The variance and standard
deviation are commonly used measures of dispersion.
Question 71 of 105
963-"From a sample of 300 patients, the estimated rate of patient falls in
Hospital A is 7.2 falls per 1,000 bed-days with a 95% confidence interval
ranging from 6.75 to 7.65 falls per 1,000 bed-days."
A. The 95% confidence interval will contain the true overall patient fall rate
in Hospital A 95% of the time.
B. We are 95% confident that the true overall patient fall rate in Hospital A
lies within this interval.
C. The 95% confidence interval is an interval containing 95% of the
distribution of the hospital's patient population.
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D. The 95% confidence interval indicates the rate at which 95% of the
patients in Hospital A fall.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
As discussed in our article on inference from a sample mean, the confidence
interval is an interval around the estimated mean which we can be confident
contains the true population mean. In this case, the population is all the
patients in Hospital A.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use basic statistical techniques to describe data (e.g. mean, standard
deviation)
Question 72 of 105
964-Which of the following bodies is ultimately responsible for
credentialing in a hospital?
Answer: D
In almost all healthcare organizations, particularly in the USA, a Credentialing
Committee makes the final decision(s) on credentialing.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Participate in the credentialing and privileging process
Question 73 of 105
965-In a large tertiary hospital, 10.3% of a general surgeon's cases in the
last 3 months were associated with surgical site infections. The average
surgical site infection rate for the other general surgeon's was 4.8%.
Working closely with the Chief Medical Officer, the healthcare quality
professional should
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A. compare the hospital's overall surgical site infection rate with local and
national data.
B. examine the surgeon's case-mix, risk-adjusted outcomes and practice
patterns.
C. refer the surgeon's cases for peer review.
D. compare the surgeon's surgical site infection rate with that of surgeons
in other specialties.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
The most appropriate course of action is to determine if the surgeon's SSI rate
is consistent with past practice and also if his cases in the last quarter carried
an increased risk - more complex, clean/clean-contaminated, co-existing
diseases such as diabetes mellitus, etc. If the data indicate an issue in the
surgeon's practice, then his cases should be referred to a peer review body.
Comparing the hospital's data with local and national data will not help in this
case. A comparison between the surgeon's SSI rate and that of surgeons in
other specialties is not appropriate due to the likely difference in risk.
Question 74 of 105
966-Root cause analysis following a sentinel event will probably require a
A. flow chart.
B. Gantt chart.
C. force field analysis chart.
D. control chart.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
All root cause analyses will need a thorough understanding of the
actions/conditions/materials in the process that led to the sentinel event. The
best way to achieve this and to document the series of steps is with a flow
chart. The other answer choices are not appropriate: Gantt charts are used in
project management, a force field analysis chart may be used in group
dynamics and action research, and the control chart is a popular statistical
tool.
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Content Category: Patient Safety
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Perform or coordinate risk management (root cause analysis)
Question 75 of 105
967-Compared with its previous version, the Procedure Coding System
(PCS) of the tenth edition of the International Classification of Diseases
(ICD) standards describes procedures in greater detail and thus
improves
A. sensitivity.
B. specificity.
C. reliability.
D. precision.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
For an explanation of the answer, read our article on statistics for diagnostic
tests.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Interpret data to support decision making
Question 76 of 105
968-In a facility which allows verbal/telephone orders, a nurse is asked
to take a telephone order for the sedative medication Zoplicone to help a
patient with insomnia. The nurse should
A. ask the physician to write the order himself before she administers the
medication as it is not an emergency.
B. record the order word-for-word on the medication order sheet, read
back the order and get confirmation from the physician who gave the order.
C. ask another nurse to take the order.
D. record the order word-for-word on the order sheet, ask another nurse
to verify it is correct, and then administer the medication to the patient.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
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In general, the correct procedure for taking a verbal/telephone order is
outlined in the second answer choice (B). If the nurse has difficulty
understanding the order, she should ask another nurse to listen in as the first
nurse takes the order, after which the second nurse should read it back and
sign the order as well. This was a National Patient Safety Goal of The Joint
Commission (USA) and is one of JCI's International Patient Safety Goals.
Question 77 of 105
969-The rate of sharps injuries in Hospital X is shown in the chart below:
Which of the following steps should the healthcare quality professional take?
Answer: C
The chart above is a run chart, commonly used in healthcare organizations.
Following the "trending rules" described in our article on using run charts, no
real trend is present. Therefore, the most appropriate action is to continue
monitoring sharps injuries in the hospital.
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Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use or coordinate the use of statistical process control components
(e.g. common and special cause variation, random variation, trend analysis)
Question 78 of 105
970-Which of the following strategies is MOST effective in achieving
widespread adoption of a new electronic medical record system?
Answer: A
Of the four answer options, widespread adoption of the new EMR system is
most likely to occur with its early use by respected members of the medical
staff. Read our article on diffusion of innovation for more tips on how to
spread new technologies.
Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate change within the organization
Question 79 of 105
971-In developing a patient safety training program, the healthcare
quality professional must first
Answer: B
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The first step in most models for training development is an analysis of
trainees' needs.
A. Operating Budget
B. Capital Budget
C. Fixed Budget
D. Master Budget
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
In general, furniture and equipment that cost more than $1000 - $2000 are
classified under the organization's Capital Budget. Costs of about $5000 in
most healthcare organizations will be treated as a capital budget expense.
Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Participate in developing and managing a budget for a department
Question 81 of 105
973-Concerning control charts, each of the following statements is true
EXCEPT:
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Question was not answered.
Answer: C
Our article on control charts describes their key features. The control limits
need not be drawn at 3 standard errors; they could (for example) be drawn at
2 standard errors from the center line.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Use or coordinate the use of process analysis tools to display data
(e.g. fishbone, Pareto chart, run chart, scattergram, control chart)
Question 82 of 105
974-A suspicious death after surgery occurred in a prestigious hospital.
Initial reports suggested that post-operative nurses might have misread
physician orders for intravenous fluids. Senior management had
concerns about litigation and adverse publicity. In making rapid
decisions, the Chief Executive Officer of the hospital should adopt a
leadership style that is
A. participatory.
B. consultative.
C. autocratic.
D. democratic.
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
This question describes a crisis. An autocratic leadership style is the most
appropriate in crises.
Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate assessment and development of the organization’s quality
culture
Question 83 of 105
975-A 35 year old man presented to the Emergency Room with diabetic
ketoacidosis, a life-threatening complication of diabetes mellitus. The
patient's diabetes had been undiagnosed previously. Discharge
planning should begin
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A. at the time of admission to the hospital.
B. after the patient's medical condition stabilizes and he is transferred
from the Intensive Care Unit to a medical ward.
C. after the physician writes the discharge planning order.
D. two days before the expected date of discharge.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
In general, discharge planning should commence as soon as the patient is
admitted.
Question 84 of 105
976-A patient with no prior history of major medical problems was
admitted for an elective cholecystectomy. On the second postoperative
day, the patient started to experience pain at the operative site and high
fevers. Blood cultures were positive for Escherichia coli and other
investigations confirmed the presence of a surgical site infection. The
patient died of overwhelming septicaemia in the Intensive Care Unit 7
days after his operation. From a quality standpoint, this case is best
classified as a
A. clinical mishap.
B. adverse event.
C. never event.
D. sentinel event.
Question was not answered.
Answer: D
In general, The Joint Commission, JCI and many other agencies consider
healthcare-associated infection associated with a death or permanent
disability as a sentinel event.
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The National Quality Forum's list of "Never Events" are grouped into six
categories: surgical, product or device, patient protection, care management,
environmental, and criminal. The incident described in this question does not
meet the description of any of these "never events".
Content Category: Patient Safety
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Perform or coordinate risk management
Question 85 of 105
977-The Emergency Department of Hospital X sees an average of 200
patients per month for the management of acute chest pain. The
department plans to conduct a retrospective chart review to determine
the compliance with a protocol for managing chest pain. In reviewing
the charts of patients seen in the department in Year 2009, an
appropriate size of a randomly selected sample is
A. 50.
B. 70.
C. 100.
D. 200.
Question was not answered.
Answer: B
The total number of cases for the year was 200 × 12 = 2400. As indicated
by The Joint Commission guidelines for sampling, the most appropriate
sample size is 70. This number of charts is sufficient to give the department
staff the answer they are seeking. A smaller number will not give adequate
precision while a much larger number will be excessive and therefore waste
resources.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Analysis
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Perform or coordinate data collection methodology
Question 86 of 105
978-The senior management team of Hospital Z is reviewing data from
several initiatives aimed at improving the inpatient mortality rate from
several conditions. The data is summarised in the table below.
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In order to prevent the highest possible number of deaths from these
conditions, for which two conditions should the hospital implement
evidence-based care bundles (proven to reduce mortality) in the coming
year?
Answer: C
To answer this question, several assumptions have to be made (as in many
other decision-making scenarios), e.g. all other factors that contribute to
inpatient mortality remain the same. The overall impact of the initiatives is
measured by the product of the number of cases and the magnitude of effect
of the interventions. You should be aware that hospitals are implementing
bundles of care to improve survival outcomes for all the conditions above. The
benchmark figures can be assumed to be the best in the industry, which gives
us the potential change in effect. Note that this hospital outperformed the
benchmark for two conditions - the hospital should prioritise its improvement
initiatives on other conditions to get the best return, which is survival in this
case. The table below shows you the calculations involved to derive the
correct answer.
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Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate establishment of priorities for process improvement activities
Question 87 of 105
979-A 45 year old patient died in the Surgical Intensive Care Unit
overnight after receiving medication intended for another patient. The
Crisis Management Team is most effective if it is chaired by the
Answer: A
The Crisis Management Team following a serious clinical adverse event is
most effectively led by the Chief Executive Officer. For more information, read
the IHI White Paper on "Respectful Management of Serious Clinical Adverse
Events".
Content Category: Patient Safety
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate assessment and development of the organization’s patient
safety culture
Question 88 of 105
980-The Board and Chief Executive Officer have renewed their
commitment to improving quality in Hospital X. Your primary role as the
Director of Quality & Patient Safety should be
A. Data Consultant.
B. Team Leader.
C. Facilitator.
D. Quality Champion.
Answer: C
In the ideal situation, the healthcare quality professional facilitates
performance improvement in an organization by acting as a coach/internal
consultant. The other roles listed above may also apply but they should not be
the primary responsibility of the healthcare quality professional.
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Content Category: Management and Leadership
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate assessment and development of the organization’s quality
culture
Question 89 of 105
981-As the Director of Quality, you have recommended the engagement
of an external healthcare quality consultant to fill some gaps in
knowledge and time.
Answer: A
When working with consultants, it is important to choose the right consultant
for the job, i.e. one who is able to deliver on time and on budget. In general, a
reputable firm is desirable but you are hiring the expertise of the firm, i.e. the
people in the firm. You should seek recommendations from previous clients.
Your budget also plays a large part in whom you decide to engage.
Question 90 of 105
982-In implementing a care bundle for the management of acute
myocardial infarction, the recording of the extent to which smoking
cessation counseling is provided is a measure of
A. structure.
B. process.
C. outcome.
D. process and outcome.
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Question was not answered.
Answer: B
To learn more about structure, process and outcome measures, read our
article on Assessing Quality of Care: Structure, Process, and Outcome.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate development or selection of process and outcome measures
Question 91 of 105
983-Transparent communication with patients and families after a
serious clinical adverse event
Answer: D
Recent research indicates that disclosure and apology (when appropriate)
following serious unanticipated clinical outcomes improve patient satisfaction
and reduce the risk of medico-legal claims.
Question 92 of 105
984-For which of the following scenarios would an uncontrolled before-
and-after evaluation design be most appropriate?
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C. Evaluating the effectiveness of a training program for nurses to prevent
patient slips and falls after an unusually high rate of patient falls in the
preceding 12 months.
D. Evaluating the effectiveness of an Acute Myocardial Infarction (AMI)
care bundle in reducing inpatient AMI mortality.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
The before-and-after evaluation design, common in healthcare quality
improvement work, is exposed to several threats to (internal) validity. This
design is most useful in demonstrating the immediate impacts of short-term
programmes, such as a one-day training course, i.e. with a pre-test and a
post-test (provided the two are not identical and the answers to the post-test
are not given to the group during the training). Over a four-week program
(answer option B), it is more likely that other factors contribute to the outcome
while the intervention of interest is administered, i.e. threats to internal validity.
Answer option C is not the best answer because the post-training result may
be affected by "reversion-to-the-mean". In other words, a period of higher-
than-average fall rates is likely to be followed by a period of lower rates.
Therefore, we cannot be sure if any observed improvement in the patient fall
rate is due to the intervention or by other factors. Likewise, the results of
measuring the effectiveness of an AMI care bundle in reducing the AMI-
related death rate may be confounded. For this reason, it is often useful to
compare your organization's data with those of organizations in the same
community.
Question 93 of 105
985-The Model for Improvement, developed by Associates in Process
Improvement,
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A "Thinking Part", and
A "Doing" Part", which is the PDSA cycle.
This tool has been successfully applied in many different clinical settings to
accelerate improvement. However, it is not meant to replace existing
improvement methodologies.
Read our article on the Model for Improvement for more information.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate performance improvement teams
Question 94 of 105
986-After a comprehensive review of the benefits and risks, a hospital's
Board of Directors decided to cease the oncology service within the
next 6 months. This is an example of
A. risk avoidance.
B. risk prevention.
C. risk shifting.
D. risk financing.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
In the field of risk management, risk control includes risk avoidance, risk
prevention and risk shifting.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Perform or coordinate risk management
Question 95 of 105
987-A patient diagnosed with hepatocellular carcinoma is receiving a
novel chemotherapeutic agent based on promising preliminary data
from clinical trials and the absence of other viable treatment options.
The dimension of quality for which the medication was chosen is its
A. efficacy.
B. effectiveness.
C. safety.
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D. appropriateness.
Question was not answered.
Answer: A
Efficacy refers to the medicine's capacity to produce a desired effect.
Effectiveness is the degree to which the desired outcome is achieved.
Safety, in this context, refers to the extent to which the risks of taking the
medication are reduced.
Question 96 of 105
988-As the Director of Quality & Patient Safety, you introduced the
Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)) Global Trigger Tool for
measuring adverse events about 2 months ago. You now intend to
present data collected using this tool to the hospital's Board of
Directors, most of whom are laypersons. Which of the following
measures will you choose to present your findings?
Answer: D
One of the most important responsibilities of a healthcare quality professional
is to communicate data to a variety of people. In this case, "percent of
admissions with an adverse event" will be most easily understood by
laypersons. See Page 13 of the white paper on the IHI Global Trigger Tool for
Measuring Adverse Events for more information.
Content Category: Information Management
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
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linked: Coordinate the dissemination of performance improvement
information within the organization
Question 97 of 105
989-Healthcare workers should perform hand hygiene
Answer: C
Every healthcare quality professional is expected to know common clinical
processes. These include processes in infection control and medication
management. Not surprisingly, the CPHQ exam will include some questions
that appear to be "clinical" and not really related to quality management.
Answering such questions may be straightforward to those with plenty of
clinical experience but challenging for others.
The question above addresses the indications for the use of hand hygiene.
Hand hygiene should be performed:
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Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Participate in the process of infection control processes
Question 98 of 105
990-The performance improvement model adopted by any healthcare
organization should include all of the following, EXCEPT
Answer: B
The PDCA cycle is merely one of many different performance improvement
models, and may not be applicable in all healthcare organizations. The other
characteristics listed are common to all models.
Question 99 of 105
991-Effective quality management in healthcare requires leaders who
are
A. well-respected clinicians.
B. department chairs.
C. committed to the organization's mission, vision and values.
D. members of the Quality Council.
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
Effective leaders in healthcare quality first and foremost demonstrate a
commitment to the mission, vision and values of the organization.
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Content Category: Management and Leadership.
Cognitive level required for a response: Recall
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Facilitate development of leadership values and commitment
Answer: A
Redesign of epidural catheters so that they cannot be attached to an
intravenous line offers the best chance of overcoming human error, therefore
preventing accidental attachment of epidural catheters to intravenous lines.
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Question was not answered.
Answer: B
Answer options A, C, and D give methods that have the potential to reduce
adverse events. Answer option B offers an action that is common among
hospitals but is erroneous for at least two reasons—the practice of modern
patient safety emphasizes a non-punitive (or just) healthcare system and a
focus on system (rather than individual) failures, among other things.
Answer: A
Only the first answer option meets the criteria for a healthcare-associated
infection, in particular asymptomatic bacteriuria.
Content Category: Performance Measurement and Improvement
Cognitive level required for a response: Application
Tasks on the CPHQ exam content outline to which the question is
linked: Participate in the process of infection control processes
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as being current smokers or non-smokers (the latter category included
ex-smokers). The patients were also categorised as having been
admitted to the ICU unexpectedly or not. Assuming the expected value
in any category is greater than 20, the most appropriate statistical test is
the
A. t-test
B. z-test
C. chi-squared test
D. eye-ball test
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
The chi-squared test is often used to conduct tests of hypothesis that involve
data presented in a 2 × 2 contingency table.
A. Validity
B. Sensitivity
C. Reliability
D. Accuracy
Question was not answered.
Answer: C
Internal benchmarking is the process by which an organization compares
performance of various units and identifies best practices for dissemination
within the organization.
In this case, validity and accuracy mean the same thing, i.e. the degree of
closeness of a measurement to the true (actual) value.
Answer: C
In a laissez-faire style of leadership, no limits are set and no decisions are
made by the leader/manager.
Quiz 3
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Please answer the following 15 multiple choice questions
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B
years old women with right Hip replacement surgery , fall from 75 -1007
bed in hospital to floor and the other hip was fractured. Risk manager
visit the patient family and told them the hospital will be written off. This
:action is
.A. Creating a fit between the organization and its external environment
Health care quality program had prepared a balance score card, -1009
that displayed: patient satisfaction was 98%, financial target has been
met , medication error had been increased by 30%, and the heart
surgery rate decrease 3%. What additional information the governing
?body may ask for
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.A. Customer complaints
.C. Finance
.D. Management
.A. Administrator
.C. Staff
.D. Facilitator
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The responsibility to pass quality improvement values to the -1018
:organization is of the
.A. Leader
After providing training, the trainer evaluated the increased skill -1021
?within the trainees, this is considered what level of evaluation
One of the team members that keep members on track and focus -1024
:on the process is
.A. Leader
.B. Facilitator
.Minutes recorder .E
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.D. Assessing results of patient satisfaction survey
Analysis of events, trends, and customer need is the initial phase -1026
:of
.C. Forecasting
1032-A team has been selected from all linked services in several
healthcare organizations in the WeCare Health plan network to address
information management . the best term describes a team is
A. Departmental
B. Service-line
C. Interdepartmental
D. Cross-function ional
1034-In crises situation, when a manger must make a rapid decision, the
most effective leadership style is:
A. Consultative
B. Participatory
C. Autocratic
D. Democratic
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1036-As a performance measurement system, the key value of the
""balanced scorecard" concept is its ability to
A. Serve as a comparative "report card" with like organizations
B. Focus the organization on financial measures of survival and success
C. Encompass all the organization's clinical and non clinical measures
D. Align measurement with the vision and strategy of the organization
For effective UM, integration of data concerning all of the following -1041
:is mandatory except
a. Risk management.
b. Case mix.
c. Professional liability.
d. Severity of illness.
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B
1045-The executive nurse of the ICU discovered that the night shift
nurse has prepared a unit dose of the medications required for each
patient in the unit, but she did not label the bottles, she only wrote the
patient names on the bottles. The best decision in such a situation is:
A. Give each patient the medication labeled with his / her name.
B. Send the bottles to the pharmacist to identify and label each.
C. Discard all the bottles immediately.
D. Bring another sample from each drug registered for each patient
1049-A process variation that did not affect an outcome, but its
recurrence carries the risk of an adverse outcome is a / an:
A. Near miss.
B. Adverse event.
C. Potential compensable event.
D. Negligence.
A
1050-pain management is one of the major component of
a. Home care
b. Hospice care
c. Emergency care
d. Ambulatry care
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Discovering the need for dealing with the problem of "look alike -1057
drugs" due to repeated medication errors, the QP proposed the
administration of unit-dose medications. This approach is considered a
:means for
.Risk avoidance a.
.Risk transfer b.
.Risk prevention c.
.Risk prediction d.
An 80 years old patient fell while being transferred from his room -1058
to the radiology department. The patient developed fracture hip due to
:the fall. This event is considered
.Negligence of conduct d.
1061-A chest x-ray was prescribed for an 80 years old patient with renal
insufficiency. on the way to the x-ray department; the patient-being
unattended- slipped and fell. The best decision in such a situation is:
A. Tell the patient's family the whole truth and offer them an apology and
appropriate compensation.
B. Ignore the issue, until addressed by the family.
C. Manipulate the circumstances to avoid organizational blame.
D. Seek the responsible and punish him /her to satisfy the family.
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reactions to ensure his compliance.
B. Inform the patient of the whole plan and discard it if he disagree.
C. Apply the treatment plan and inform the patient if any of the
expected adverse reactions did occur.
D. Discard the whole plan without informing the patient and shift to
other medications even if it did not produce the desired effect.
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A
A. Negligence.
B. Patient fraud.
C. Accidental injury.
D. Sentinel events.
1075-A 24 years old woman delivered a full term female infant in the
maternity ward of a public hospital. The following day the mother and
child were discharged. On reaching home the mother discovered that
the hospital has given her a baby boy instead. On investigation it was
discovered that this event has happened twice before. Read this story
then answer questions 1 & 2:
1077-Removal of the left leg, when the right leg was the diseased part
that required removal, would be seen legally as
A. members are sicker than the average person in the capitated population
B. members are healthier than the average person in the capitated population
C. makes less money than previous years
D. makes more money than previous years
Answer B
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The most accepted answer is the cost effective but here no mix of
answers (Money +Health) so we will go for Health
D
Which of the following situations best describes the term -1081
?“Misuse” of Resources at healthcare facilities
C. who was responsible for the mortality and what disciplinary actions need to
.be taken
.D. what the unit staff was doing at the time of the mortality
The first assessment step the CPHQ makes to prevent risks to the -1082
patients, the staff, or the organization is to
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.A. evaluate the corrective actions
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