QI 102 Lesson 3: Choosing Measures
Exam Questions and Answers
Based on the aim of the project, indicate whether the project measure is an outcome
measure, process measure, or balancing measure.
Aim #1: Reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) by reducing
the number of ventilator days in the intensive care unit (ICU) by 20 percent within five
months.Measure: Percentage of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia -
Answers -Outcome measure
Measure: Readmission of ventilated patients to the ICU who then require mechanical
ventilation - Answers -Balancing measure
Measure: Average number of days on mechanical ventilation - Answers -Process
measure
Aim #2: Reduce the average waiting time for all patients to under 20 minutes by next
August.Measures: Patient cycle times (e.g., time to registration, time from arrival to
triage, time from triage to bed placement) and the percentage of time staff arrive for
their shifts on time - Answers -Process measures
Measure: Average number of minutes spent in the waiting room per patient - Answers -
Process measure
Measures: Percentage of staff reporting they're satisfied at work and total staffing costs
- Answers -Balancing measures
You're working on trying to reduce waiting times for patients. Your formal aim is to
reduce the average waiting time for all patients to less than 20 minutes by next
November.For a few months, you have tried different changes and dutifully gathered
data on several process measures and your outcome measure, which is the average
number of minutes in the waiting room per patient.
You're meeting with your office team to review this graph. Upon studying it, would you
say the changes the team is testing are leading to improvement? - Answers -Yes
As a nurse manager of a medicine unit in an academic hospital, you're aware that your
unit has a high rate of patient readmissions. In fact, 36 percent of the patients
discharged from your unit are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. After reviewing
the literature, you become aware that this rate is quite high compared to national
standards. Working with other members of your unit, you develop a plan to call patients
Exam Questions and Answers
Based on the aim of the project, indicate whether the project measure is an outcome
measure, process measure, or balancing measure.
Aim #1: Reduce the incidence of ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) by reducing
the number of ventilator days in the intensive care unit (ICU) by 20 percent within five
months.Measure: Percentage of patients with ventilator-associated pneumonia -
Answers -Outcome measure
Measure: Readmission of ventilated patients to the ICU who then require mechanical
ventilation - Answers -Balancing measure
Measure: Average number of days on mechanical ventilation - Answers -Process
measure
Aim #2: Reduce the average waiting time for all patients to under 20 minutes by next
August.Measures: Patient cycle times (e.g., time to registration, time from arrival to
triage, time from triage to bed placement) and the percentage of time staff arrive for
their shifts on time - Answers -Process measures
Measure: Average number of minutes spent in the waiting room per patient - Answers -
Process measure
Measures: Percentage of staff reporting they're satisfied at work and total staffing costs
- Answers -Balancing measures
You're working on trying to reduce waiting times for patients. Your formal aim is to
reduce the average waiting time for all patients to less than 20 minutes by next
November.For a few months, you have tried different changes and dutifully gathered
data on several process measures and your outcome measure, which is the average
number of minutes in the waiting room per patient.
You're meeting with your office team to review this graph. Upon studying it, would you
say the changes the team is testing are leading to improvement? - Answers -Yes
As a nurse manager of a medicine unit in an academic hospital, you're aware that your
unit has a high rate of patient readmissions. In fact, 36 percent of the patients
discharged from your unit are readmitted to the hospital within 30 days. After reviewing
the literature, you become aware that this rate is quite high compared to national
standards. Working with other members of your unit, you develop a plan to call patients
