Certified Professional in Patient Safety
Questions with Correct Answers 2026
Iatrogenesis - CORRECT ANSWERV-Greek for originating from a physician
Preventable adverse events - CORRECT ANSWER -
those that occurred due to error or failure to apply an accepted strategy for prevention
Ameliorable adverse event - CORRECT ANSWER -
events that, while not preventable, could have been less harmful if care had been different
Adverse events due to negligence - CORRECT ANSWERV-
those that occurred due to care that falls below the standards expected of clinicians in the community
Near miss - CORRECT ANSWER -
an unsafe situation that is indistinguishable from a preventable adverse event except for the outcome -
exposed but does not experience harm either through luck or early detection
Error - CORRECT ANSWERV-
broader term referring to any act of commission or omission that exposes patients to a potentially haza
rdous situation
Adverse event - CORRECT ANSWER -
An injury caused by medical management (rather than the underlying disease) and that prolonged the h
ospitalization, produced at disability at the time of discharge, or both
Commision - CORRECT ANSWERV-doing something wrong
Omission - CORRECT ANSWER -failing to do the right thing
CPOE - CORRECT ANSWER -Computerized Provider Order Entry
2009 HITECH Act and meaningful use program
Computer alerts three main findings - CORRECT ANSWERV-1. Modestly effective at best
2. Alert fatigue is common
3. Fatigue increases with exposure and heavier use of CPOE systems
Minimize alert fatigue - CORRECT ANSWER -
1. Increase alert specificity to reduce inconsequential alerts
2. Tier alerts according to severity
3. Make only high level/severe alerts interruptive
4. Use human factors principles
Three concepts that influence safety in ambulatory care - CORRECT ANSWER -
1. Role of pt and caregiver behaviors
2. Role of provider-pt interactions
3. Role of community and health system
,Medical Office Survey on Pt Safety Culture - CORRECT ANSWERV-
designed to assess safety culture in amb care and data is available from AHRQ
Pt Engagement - CORRECT ANSWER -
1. Ed pt about their illness and medications with pt demonstrating understanding "teach back"
2. Empowering to act as a safety double check
Checklist - CORRECT ANSWER -
Algorithmic listing of actions to be performed for a given clinical procedure designed to ensure that no
matter how often performed by a given clinician, no step will be forgotten
Reduce risk of slips
Consensus of required behaviors
Slips - CORRECT ANSWER -failure of schematic (autopilot) behaviors
Lapses in concentration, distractions, or fatigue
Mistake - CORRECT ANSWERV-failures in attentional behavior
Lack of experience or insufficient training
Situational Awareness - CORRECT ANSWERV-the ability to access and track relevant to the task,
Comprehend the data,
Forecast what may happened based on the data, and
Formulate an appropriate plan in response
Situational awareness cannot be achieved without - CORRECT ANSWERV-clear and high-
quality communication between all providers
Most common root cause of sentinel events - CORRECT ANSWERV-communication
Elements the affect communication - CORRECT ANSWER -1. Rigid hierarchies
2. Overtly disruptive and unprofessional behavior
3. Nonverbal cues
4. Interpersonal relations
5. Group dynamics
Communication tools - CORRECT ANSWER -read-back protocols
SBAR
Teamwork training
Process for prescribing and adm meds - CORRECT ANSWER -1. Order
2. Transcribing
3. Dispensing
4. Administration
90% errors occur at ordering (48%) or transcribing thus CPOE prevent
CDSS - CORRECT ANSWERV-Clinical Decision Support System
Assist healthcare providers in the actual diagnosis and treatment of patients, analyze data from clinical
information systems
Avoids commission and omission errors
, Unintended consequences of CPOE - CORRECT ANSWER -1. More or new work for clinicians
2. Unfavorable workflow
3. Never-ending system demands
4. Persistence of paper orders
5. Changes in communication patterns and practices
6. Neg towards new technology
7. New types of errors
8. Change in power structure, org culture , or professional roles
High Reliability Organizations (hros) - CORRECT ANSWER -
persistent mindfulness with in an organization
Cultivate resilience by relentlessly prioritizing safety over other performance pressures
Consistently minimize adverse events despite carrying out intrinsically complex and hazardous work
Safety is emergent vs. Static
Commitment to safety at all levels
HRO key features - CORRECT ANSWERV-1. Know high-
risk nature of activities and determine to have consistent safe operations
2. Blame-free
3. Collaboration across ranks and disciplines
4. Commitment of resources to address safety concerns
Patient Safety Culture Surveys and Safety Attitudes Questionnaire - CORRECT ANSWERV-
ask providers to rate the safety culture in their units and org as a whole
Poor perceived safety culture= increased error rates
Just culture - CORRECT ANSWERV-
id and addressing systems issues that lead individual to engage in unsafe behaviors while maintain acc
ountability
Human error (slip)
At risk behavior (short cuts)
Reckless behavior (ignoring required safety steps)
Debriefing - CORRECT ANSWER -
dialogue to learn from defects and improve performance through goal discussion, reflection to incorpor
ate improvement or discover opportunities in future performance
Simulation
Real-life emergency responses
Teamstepps
Components of debriefing - CORRECT ANSWERV-1. Setting the stage
2. Description or reactions
3. Analysis
4. Application
Plus delta debriefing - CORRECT ANSWER -1. What went well?
2. What did not go well?
3. What can we do differently or what needs to change to improve care?
Debriefing framework - CORRECT ANSWERV-team evaluates if:
Had clear communication
Questions with Correct Answers 2026
Iatrogenesis - CORRECT ANSWERV-Greek for originating from a physician
Preventable adverse events - CORRECT ANSWER -
those that occurred due to error or failure to apply an accepted strategy for prevention
Ameliorable adverse event - CORRECT ANSWER -
events that, while not preventable, could have been less harmful if care had been different
Adverse events due to negligence - CORRECT ANSWERV-
those that occurred due to care that falls below the standards expected of clinicians in the community
Near miss - CORRECT ANSWER -
an unsafe situation that is indistinguishable from a preventable adverse event except for the outcome -
exposed but does not experience harm either through luck or early detection
Error - CORRECT ANSWERV-
broader term referring to any act of commission or omission that exposes patients to a potentially haza
rdous situation
Adverse event - CORRECT ANSWER -
An injury caused by medical management (rather than the underlying disease) and that prolonged the h
ospitalization, produced at disability at the time of discharge, or both
Commision - CORRECT ANSWERV-doing something wrong
Omission - CORRECT ANSWER -failing to do the right thing
CPOE - CORRECT ANSWER -Computerized Provider Order Entry
2009 HITECH Act and meaningful use program
Computer alerts three main findings - CORRECT ANSWERV-1. Modestly effective at best
2. Alert fatigue is common
3. Fatigue increases with exposure and heavier use of CPOE systems
Minimize alert fatigue - CORRECT ANSWER -
1. Increase alert specificity to reduce inconsequential alerts
2. Tier alerts according to severity
3. Make only high level/severe alerts interruptive
4. Use human factors principles
Three concepts that influence safety in ambulatory care - CORRECT ANSWER -
1. Role of pt and caregiver behaviors
2. Role of provider-pt interactions
3. Role of community and health system
,Medical Office Survey on Pt Safety Culture - CORRECT ANSWERV-
designed to assess safety culture in amb care and data is available from AHRQ
Pt Engagement - CORRECT ANSWER -
1. Ed pt about their illness and medications with pt demonstrating understanding "teach back"
2. Empowering to act as a safety double check
Checklist - CORRECT ANSWER -
Algorithmic listing of actions to be performed for a given clinical procedure designed to ensure that no
matter how often performed by a given clinician, no step will be forgotten
Reduce risk of slips
Consensus of required behaviors
Slips - CORRECT ANSWER -failure of schematic (autopilot) behaviors
Lapses in concentration, distractions, or fatigue
Mistake - CORRECT ANSWERV-failures in attentional behavior
Lack of experience or insufficient training
Situational Awareness - CORRECT ANSWERV-the ability to access and track relevant to the task,
Comprehend the data,
Forecast what may happened based on the data, and
Formulate an appropriate plan in response
Situational awareness cannot be achieved without - CORRECT ANSWERV-clear and high-
quality communication between all providers
Most common root cause of sentinel events - CORRECT ANSWERV-communication
Elements the affect communication - CORRECT ANSWER -1. Rigid hierarchies
2. Overtly disruptive and unprofessional behavior
3. Nonverbal cues
4. Interpersonal relations
5. Group dynamics
Communication tools - CORRECT ANSWER -read-back protocols
SBAR
Teamwork training
Process for prescribing and adm meds - CORRECT ANSWER -1. Order
2. Transcribing
3. Dispensing
4. Administration
90% errors occur at ordering (48%) or transcribing thus CPOE prevent
CDSS - CORRECT ANSWERV-Clinical Decision Support System
Assist healthcare providers in the actual diagnosis and treatment of patients, analyze data from clinical
information systems
Avoids commission and omission errors
, Unintended consequences of CPOE - CORRECT ANSWER -1. More or new work for clinicians
2. Unfavorable workflow
3. Never-ending system demands
4. Persistence of paper orders
5. Changes in communication patterns and practices
6. Neg towards new technology
7. New types of errors
8. Change in power structure, org culture , or professional roles
High Reliability Organizations (hros) - CORRECT ANSWER -
persistent mindfulness with in an organization
Cultivate resilience by relentlessly prioritizing safety over other performance pressures
Consistently minimize adverse events despite carrying out intrinsically complex and hazardous work
Safety is emergent vs. Static
Commitment to safety at all levels
HRO key features - CORRECT ANSWERV-1. Know high-
risk nature of activities and determine to have consistent safe operations
2. Blame-free
3. Collaboration across ranks and disciplines
4. Commitment of resources to address safety concerns
Patient Safety Culture Surveys and Safety Attitudes Questionnaire - CORRECT ANSWERV-
ask providers to rate the safety culture in their units and org as a whole
Poor perceived safety culture= increased error rates
Just culture - CORRECT ANSWERV-
id and addressing systems issues that lead individual to engage in unsafe behaviors while maintain acc
ountability
Human error (slip)
At risk behavior (short cuts)
Reckless behavior (ignoring required safety steps)
Debriefing - CORRECT ANSWER -
dialogue to learn from defects and improve performance through goal discussion, reflection to incorpor
ate improvement or discover opportunities in future performance
Simulation
Real-life emergency responses
Teamstepps
Components of debriefing - CORRECT ANSWERV-1. Setting the stage
2. Description or reactions
3. Analysis
4. Application
Plus delta debriefing - CORRECT ANSWER -1. What went well?
2. What did not go well?
3. What can we do differently or what needs to change to improve care?
Debriefing framework - CORRECT ANSWERV-team evaluates if:
Had clear communication
