Quality Improvement
Practice questions with
complete solutions
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
Practice questions with
complete solutions
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
