CPPS EVALUATION EXAMS SET QUESTIONS AND ANSWERS
SURE A+
✔✔Which of the following chart types would be best to demonstrate non-random
process variation over time?
A.)Control chart
B.) Run chart
C.) Bar chart
D.) Pie chart - ✔✔A.) Control chartThe best answer is a control chart because it has
controls associated with it (both upper and lower control limits) to provide the clearest
picture of change over time.
Run charts also display change over time but lack the control limits. Bar charts and pie
charts are indicative of descriptive statistics and don't allow you to look at something
over time or track progress.
✔✔An organization has implemented measures to provide preventative health
screenings in an effort to prevent disease, delay the onset of disease, keep diseases
from worsening, and reduce costs to health care. In order to measure effectiveness of
the interventions, leaders of the effort are planning to collect data.
Which would be the best process measure for them to look at?
A.) The number of patients whose pre-existing conditions improved after having been
screened
B.) The number of patients who reported adopting a healthier lifestyle as a result of the
screening
C.) Costs to the organization pre and post implementation of the health screenings
D.) The number of health screenings performed - ✔✔D.) The number of health
screenings performed.
The only process measure among these options is the number of health screenings
performed. The rest are outcome (not process) measures.
✔✔A recent hospital initiative to decrease venous thromboembolism (VTE) was not
successful, despite implementing a training program for staff. An interprofessional team
came together to analyze the persistent problem. Pharmacists reported that patients
often refused anticoagulant injections, particularly the midnight dose. Nurses reported
that patients did not care to be awakened and given an injection, and, other times,
nurses withheld the injection because the patient was walking to the bathroom.
Which of the following steps is the most important for the team to take to address this
problem?
A.) Share the data with decision makers and continue to monitor run charts.
B.) Use the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle method for improvement.
C.) Require staff to attend an annual training on professional guidelines.
D.) Request that pharmacy and nursing brainstorm solutions with their staff. - ✔✔B.)
Use the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle method for improvement.
, PDSA cycles can help the team test various ideas for improvement to see which one
leads to the best results. Requiring staff to receive more education may not help if the
staff are already aware of what they're expected to do and why. Brainstorming solutions
may be useful, but it won't lead to improvement without the steps the team would take in
conducting PDSA cycles. It's important to monitor the data, but measurement alone
does not lead to improvement, as improvement requires change.
✔✔The leader of a hospital division wants to know if her division's safety (incident)
reporting rate is steady or, hopefully, increasing. She is considering using one of the
following two data displays:
Graph A=Bar Graph
Graph B=Control Chart
A.) Graph B because it shows many data periods
B.) Graph A because it shows volume compared to other divisions
C.) Graph A because it shows year-to-date performance
D.) Graph B because it shows a report number adjusted for patient volumes - ✔✔D.)
Graph B because it shows a report number adjusted for patient volumes
Graph B is the correct answer because it shows a report number adjusted for patient
volumes, allowing us to see the true trend of reporting. Using counts to determine
whether a reporting volume is steady or rising does not take into account factors that
may influence that reporting volume, such as patient census. Using a denominator
helps to normalize our interpretation of a count. (Although it is true graph B shows many
data points, the same purpose could still be achieved with fewer data points.)Graph A is
not correct because this graph reflects count data and only one point in time. (Using
Graph A, the division leader may conclude that her division is performing moderately
well compared to other divisions, but, again, this graph shows one point in time.) If the
bars were a rate of reporting by division (such as by adjusted patient days), the leader
could at least determine if there were a comparable rate based on patient volumes.
✔✔You are a patient safety officer for a community hospital that has had many falls
resulting in serious injuries. A "No Pass Zone" initiative was piloted on one of the units
several months ago. You are scheduled to present the results of the pilot to leadership.
Your goal is to get leadership's buy in to implement the "No Pass Zone" initiative
throughout the entire hospital.
What chart would be best to show leadership the impact of the "No Pass Zone" initiative
over time?
A.) Run chart
B.) Pareto chart
C.) Shewhart chart
D.) Control chart - ✔✔A.) Run chart
A run chart studies variation in data over time and is the best option to help the hospital
leaders understand the impact of changes on measures.In regard to the other answer
SURE A+
✔✔Which of the following chart types would be best to demonstrate non-random
process variation over time?
A.)Control chart
B.) Run chart
C.) Bar chart
D.) Pie chart - ✔✔A.) Control chartThe best answer is a control chart because it has
controls associated with it (both upper and lower control limits) to provide the clearest
picture of change over time.
Run charts also display change over time but lack the control limits. Bar charts and pie
charts are indicative of descriptive statistics and don't allow you to look at something
over time or track progress.
✔✔An organization has implemented measures to provide preventative health
screenings in an effort to prevent disease, delay the onset of disease, keep diseases
from worsening, and reduce costs to health care. In order to measure effectiveness of
the interventions, leaders of the effort are planning to collect data.
Which would be the best process measure for them to look at?
A.) The number of patients whose pre-existing conditions improved after having been
screened
B.) The number of patients who reported adopting a healthier lifestyle as a result of the
screening
C.) Costs to the organization pre and post implementation of the health screenings
D.) The number of health screenings performed - ✔✔D.) The number of health
screenings performed.
The only process measure among these options is the number of health screenings
performed. The rest are outcome (not process) measures.
✔✔A recent hospital initiative to decrease venous thromboembolism (VTE) was not
successful, despite implementing a training program for staff. An interprofessional team
came together to analyze the persistent problem. Pharmacists reported that patients
often refused anticoagulant injections, particularly the midnight dose. Nurses reported
that patients did not care to be awakened and given an injection, and, other times,
nurses withheld the injection because the patient was walking to the bathroom.
Which of the following steps is the most important for the team to take to address this
problem?
A.) Share the data with decision makers and continue to monitor run charts.
B.) Use the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle method for improvement.
C.) Require staff to attend an annual training on professional guidelines.
D.) Request that pharmacy and nursing brainstorm solutions with their staff. - ✔✔B.)
Use the Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle method for improvement.
, PDSA cycles can help the team test various ideas for improvement to see which one
leads to the best results. Requiring staff to receive more education may not help if the
staff are already aware of what they're expected to do and why. Brainstorming solutions
may be useful, but it won't lead to improvement without the steps the team would take in
conducting PDSA cycles. It's important to monitor the data, but measurement alone
does not lead to improvement, as improvement requires change.
✔✔The leader of a hospital division wants to know if her division's safety (incident)
reporting rate is steady or, hopefully, increasing. She is considering using one of the
following two data displays:
Graph A=Bar Graph
Graph B=Control Chart
A.) Graph B because it shows many data periods
B.) Graph A because it shows volume compared to other divisions
C.) Graph A because it shows year-to-date performance
D.) Graph B because it shows a report number adjusted for patient volumes - ✔✔D.)
Graph B because it shows a report number adjusted for patient volumes
Graph B is the correct answer because it shows a report number adjusted for patient
volumes, allowing us to see the true trend of reporting. Using counts to determine
whether a reporting volume is steady or rising does not take into account factors that
may influence that reporting volume, such as patient census. Using a denominator
helps to normalize our interpretation of a count. (Although it is true graph B shows many
data points, the same purpose could still be achieved with fewer data points.)Graph A is
not correct because this graph reflects count data and only one point in time. (Using
Graph A, the division leader may conclude that her division is performing moderately
well compared to other divisions, but, again, this graph shows one point in time.) If the
bars were a rate of reporting by division (such as by adjusted patient days), the leader
could at least determine if there were a comparable rate based on patient volumes.
✔✔You are a patient safety officer for a community hospital that has had many falls
resulting in serious injuries. A "No Pass Zone" initiative was piloted on one of the units
several months ago. You are scheduled to present the results of the pilot to leadership.
Your goal is to get leadership's buy in to implement the "No Pass Zone" initiative
throughout the entire hospital.
What chart would be best to show leadership the impact of the "No Pass Zone" initiative
over time?
A.) Run chart
B.) Pareto chart
C.) Shewhart chart
D.) Control chart - ✔✔A.) Run chart
A run chart studies variation in data over time and is the best option to help the hospital
leaders understand the impact of changes on measures.In regard to the other answer
