QUALITY IMPROVEMENT PRACTICE
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100%
CORRECT
The nurse is evaluating the effectiveness of changes made to improve quality of care.
Which procedure is the nurse conducting?
Quality assurance
Total quality management
Continuous quality improvement
Quality management plan - ANSWER-Quality assurance
Implemented changes must be evaluated to assess their impact on patient care, patient
outcomes, patient and clinical satisfaction, and resource utilization. Data related to the
original problem must be collected and are then analyzed on the basis of benchmark
standards to determine whether standards are being met. This is called quality
assurance. A quality management plan is used to help healthcare facilities integrate
new programs, models, and technologies with the primary care services that are already
in place. Total quality management (TQM) is a comprehensive management philosophy
used to improve quality and productivity by using data and statistics to improve
processes. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is a structured organizational process
for including personnel in planning and executing a continuous flow of improvements to
provide quality health care that meets or exceeds expectations.
The hospital management is concerned about feedback regarding long waiting times for
treatment in the emergency department and forms a committee to resolve the issue.
Which should be the first task by the leader of the committee to solve the problem?
Form a Continuous Quality Improvement team to define the desired outcome.
Reevaluate emergency room waiting times.
Collect baseline data to determine if a problem exists.
Ask the director of operations for solutions. - ANSWER-Form a Continuous Quality
Improvement team to define the desired outcome.
The first step in the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process is to assemble a
team of individuals who are stakeholders in the problem to form a CQI team to define
, the desired outcome. From there, the nurse can measure performance against the
desired outcome, analyze the results, provide feedback, implement a solution, and
evaluate its effectiveness. If the nurse were to collect baseline information without
determining the desired outcome, they might not measure the relevant indicators. CQI is
about including the team in the problem-solving process, rather than dictating what
needs to be accomplished. By including the team in the problem solving, it is more likely
they will buy into the solutions. Asking the operations manager for solutions is not the
best way to resolve the issue, and reevaluating the wait time will only help after
implementation of the first plan of action to reduce that issue.
The nurse recognized making a medication error and immediately reported it to the unit
supervisor.
Which response from the supervisor should the nurse expect in an environment that
promotes quality?
"Why are you reporting that to me without completing an incident report?"
"You need to report directly to the Chief Nursing Officer."
"You have reported this to me, so you do not need to file an incident report."
"We have a blame-free environment so you can report errors without fearing
punishment." - ANSWER-"We have a blame-free environment so you can report errors
without fearing punishment."
Most errors in health care are a result of the healthcare system and not the fault of a
single individual. If a clinic is afraid to report errors for fear of punishment or because
reporting does not result in positive change, then problems within the system cannot be
identified or addressed. A key component in quality improvement is establishing a
blame-free environment in which healthcare providers can report errors or near misses
without the fear of punishment. This helps identify problems, so that corrections can be
made, and future events can be prevented. An incident report will be completed as a
part of the investigation.
Which statement should the nurse use to describe the purpose of the root cause
analysis?
Brainstorming preferred outcomes
Identifying risks causing financial loss
Providing a report to the leader of the committee
The nurse in the blood bank is part of a team effort to reduce the cost of collecting and
storing blood components. The nurse conducts an inventory check for expired sterile
supplies.
QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS 100%
CORRECT
The nurse is evaluating the effectiveness of changes made to improve quality of care.
Which procedure is the nurse conducting?
Quality assurance
Total quality management
Continuous quality improvement
Quality management plan - ANSWER-Quality assurance
Implemented changes must be evaluated to assess their impact on patient care, patient
outcomes, patient and clinical satisfaction, and resource utilization. Data related to the
original problem must be collected and are then analyzed on the basis of benchmark
standards to determine whether standards are being met. This is called quality
assurance. A quality management plan is used to help healthcare facilities integrate
new programs, models, and technologies with the primary care services that are already
in place. Total quality management (TQM) is a comprehensive management philosophy
used to improve quality and productivity by using data and statistics to improve
processes. Continuous quality improvement (CQI) is a structured organizational process
for including personnel in planning and executing a continuous flow of improvements to
provide quality health care that meets or exceeds expectations.
The hospital management is concerned about feedback regarding long waiting times for
treatment in the emergency department and forms a committee to resolve the issue.
Which should be the first task by the leader of the committee to solve the problem?
Form a Continuous Quality Improvement team to define the desired outcome.
Reevaluate emergency room waiting times.
Collect baseline data to determine if a problem exists.
Ask the director of operations for solutions. - ANSWER-Form a Continuous Quality
Improvement team to define the desired outcome.
The first step in the Continuous Quality Improvement (CQI) process is to assemble a
team of individuals who are stakeholders in the problem to form a CQI team to define
, the desired outcome. From there, the nurse can measure performance against the
desired outcome, analyze the results, provide feedback, implement a solution, and
evaluate its effectiveness. If the nurse were to collect baseline information without
determining the desired outcome, they might not measure the relevant indicators. CQI is
about including the team in the problem-solving process, rather than dictating what
needs to be accomplished. By including the team in the problem solving, it is more likely
they will buy into the solutions. Asking the operations manager for solutions is not the
best way to resolve the issue, and reevaluating the wait time will only help after
implementation of the first plan of action to reduce that issue.
The nurse recognized making a medication error and immediately reported it to the unit
supervisor.
Which response from the supervisor should the nurse expect in an environment that
promotes quality?
"Why are you reporting that to me without completing an incident report?"
"You need to report directly to the Chief Nursing Officer."
"You have reported this to me, so you do not need to file an incident report."
"We have a blame-free environment so you can report errors without fearing
punishment." - ANSWER-"We have a blame-free environment so you can report errors
without fearing punishment."
Most errors in health care are a result of the healthcare system and not the fault of a
single individual. If a clinic is afraid to report errors for fear of punishment or because
reporting does not result in positive change, then problems within the system cannot be
identified or addressed. A key component in quality improvement is establishing a
blame-free environment in which healthcare providers can report errors or near misses
without the fear of punishment. This helps identify problems, so that corrections can be
made, and future events can be prevented. An incident report will be completed as a
part of the investigation.
Which statement should the nurse use to describe the purpose of the root cause
analysis?
Brainstorming preferred outcomes
Identifying risks causing financial loss
Providing a report to the leader of the committee
The nurse in the blood bank is part of a team effort to reduce the cost of collecting and
storing blood components. The nurse conducts an inventory check for expired sterile
supplies.
