CPPS CORE EXAMINATION SET QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
SURE A+
✔✔The Board of Hospital A wants to know how Hospital A's safety performance in
central line associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) compares to that of other
hospitals in their region. Which data display would best inform them for that decision? -
✔✔a. Control charts of overall infection rate by quarter for the past two years for each
hospital in the region
b. A table indicating the CLABSI infection rates of all hospitals in the region relative to
the National Healthcare Safety Network benchmark for CLABSI infections for the past 2
years
c. A written report summarizing the current CLABSI prevention protocols of each
hospital in the region
d. A table showing the number of CLABSI infections in each hospital in the region by
quarter for the past 2 years
✔✔The answer is B. A table indicating the CLABSI infection rates of all hospitals in the
region relative to the National Healthcare Safety Network benchmark for CLABSI
infections for the past 2 years - ✔✔
✔✔Your organization utilizes a "home grown" electronic safety event reporting system
that is no longer meeting the needs of the organization. Hospital administration is asking
for your opinion for next steps. What next steps would you take to identify a
replacement system? - ✔✔a. Ask information systems to either fix the old one or build a
new one
b. Identify key stakeholders and perform a gap analysis of current state to ideal state
c. Poll colleagues and purchase what they use
d. Purchase the lease expensive software and grow with it
✔✔The answer is B. Identify key stakeholders and perform a gap analysis of current
state to ideal state - ✔✔
✔✔Your organization is preparing to change to a new electronic health record. Many
departments have been involved with the planning of this huge effort. What would you
suggest as part of the preparation strategy? - ✔✔a. Conduct a root cause analysis
b. Conduct a failure modes and effects analysis
c. Offer a "plan, do, study, act" session
, d. Offer to do a claims analysis for any related errors
✔✔The answer is b. Conduct a failure modes and effects analysis - ✔✔
✔✔A new cath lab is under construction in our hospital, and the medical director
contacts you to express concerns related to the transport of patients from the cath lab to
the ICU. You agree to assist in the design of an FMEA. Components of the FMEA will
include: - ✔✔a. Assembling a multidisplinary team whose members will brainstorm
potential failures
b. Conducting the 5 "whys" to figure out what could go wrong
c. Listing potential root causes of adverse events in the current cath lab
d. Asking the medical director to participate in leadership rounds in the current cath lab
to identify potential safety risks
✔✔The answer is A. Assembling a multidisplinary team whose members will brainstorm
potential failures - ✔✔
✔✔A new medication administrative safety process was implemented in a hospital. A
team convened to perform a failure mode effects analysis and calculate a risk priority
number (RPN). After a targeted medication safety program on the new process was
delivered to nurses, the same team convened to perform another FMEA. The team
would be happy to see: - ✔✔a. The detectability increased and RPNs were lower
b. The detectability decreased and RPNs were lower
c. The frequency numbers decreased and RPNs were higher
d. The frequency numbers increased and RPNs were lower
✔✔The answer is b. (I think) The detectability decreased and RPNs were lower - ✔✔
✔✔Sharing lessons learned from RCA's does what? - ✔✔a. exposes the fallibility of the
involved clinician(s)
b. Allows others to introduce work arounds to avoid the same situation
c. Allows co-workers to learn the rationale for why an event occurred and incorporate
new lessons learned into practice
d. Sharing these events allows for exposure from litigation perspective and should not
be encouraged
SURE A+
✔✔The Board of Hospital A wants to know how Hospital A's safety performance in
central line associated blood stream infection (CLABSI) compares to that of other
hospitals in their region. Which data display would best inform them for that decision? -
✔✔a. Control charts of overall infection rate by quarter for the past two years for each
hospital in the region
b. A table indicating the CLABSI infection rates of all hospitals in the region relative to
the National Healthcare Safety Network benchmark for CLABSI infections for the past 2
years
c. A written report summarizing the current CLABSI prevention protocols of each
hospital in the region
d. A table showing the number of CLABSI infections in each hospital in the region by
quarter for the past 2 years
✔✔The answer is B. A table indicating the CLABSI infection rates of all hospitals in the
region relative to the National Healthcare Safety Network benchmark for CLABSI
infections for the past 2 years - ✔✔
✔✔Your organization utilizes a "home grown" electronic safety event reporting system
that is no longer meeting the needs of the organization. Hospital administration is asking
for your opinion for next steps. What next steps would you take to identify a
replacement system? - ✔✔a. Ask information systems to either fix the old one or build a
new one
b. Identify key stakeholders and perform a gap analysis of current state to ideal state
c. Poll colleagues and purchase what they use
d. Purchase the lease expensive software and grow with it
✔✔The answer is B. Identify key stakeholders and perform a gap analysis of current
state to ideal state - ✔✔
✔✔Your organization is preparing to change to a new electronic health record. Many
departments have been involved with the planning of this huge effort. What would you
suggest as part of the preparation strategy? - ✔✔a. Conduct a root cause analysis
b. Conduct a failure modes and effects analysis
c. Offer a "plan, do, study, act" session
, d. Offer to do a claims analysis for any related errors
✔✔The answer is b. Conduct a failure modes and effects analysis - ✔✔
✔✔A new cath lab is under construction in our hospital, and the medical director
contacts you to express concerns related to the transport of patients from the cath lab to
the ICU. You agree to assist in the design of an FMEA. Components of the FMEA will
include: - ✔✔a. Assembling a multidisplinary team whose members will brainstorm
potential failures
b. Conducting the 5 "whys" to figure out what could go wrong
c. Listing potential root causes of adverse events in the current cath lab
d. Asking the medical director to participate in leadership rounds in the current cath lab
to identify potential safety risks
✔✔The answer is A. Assembling a multidisplinary team whose members will brainstorm
potential failures - ✔✔
✔✔A new medication administrative safety process was implemented in a hospital. A
team convened to perform a failure mode effects analysis and calculate a risk priority
number (RPN). After a targeted medication safety program on the new process was
delivered to nurses, the same team convened to perform another FMEA. The team
would be happy to see: - ✔✔a. The detectability increased and RPNs were lower
b. The detectability decreased and RPNs were lower
c. The frequency numbers decreased and RPNs were higher
d. The frequency numbers increased and RPNs were lower
✔✔The answer is b. (I think) The detectability decreased and RPNs were lower - ✔✔
✔✔Sharing lessons learned from RCA's does what? - ✔✔a. exposes the fallibility of the
involved clinician(s)
b. Allows others to introduce work arounds to avoid the same situation
c. Allows co-workers to learn the rationale for why an event occurred and incorporate
new lessons learned into practice
d. Sharing these events allows for exposure from litigation perspective and should not
be encouraged
