According to WHO, in developed countries worldwide, what is the approximate likelihood that a
hospitalized patient will be harmed while receiving care?
A <1%
B 10%
C 50%
D >75% - Answers B 10%
Since the publication of To Err Is Human in 1999, the health care industry overall has seen which of the
following improvements?
(A) A 75 percent reduction in preventable medical errors
(B) Stronger repercussions for providers who commit preventable medical errors
(C) Wider awareness that preventable errors are a problem
(D) Wider recognition that medical errors are most often attributable to individual performance
(E) All of the above - Answers C wider awareness that preventable errors are a problem
Safety has been called a "dynamic non-event" because when humans are in a potentially hazardous
environment:
(A) It is natural to establish and follow safe practices
(B) It requires the same kind of thinking that causes problems to set them right
(C) It takes significant work to ensure nothing bad happens
(D) There is generally a high prevalence of "near misses" - Answers C it take significant work to ensure
nothing bad happens
James is a first-year surgery resident on his first pediatric rotation. His attending (consultant) asks him to
start intravenous (IV) replacement fluids on a two-year-old boy who is having vomiting and diarrhea.
Having trouble remembering the guidelines for calculating fluid replacement rates for very small
children, James asks Maria, a nurse on the unit. Maria responds, "You're the doctor. It's your job to
decide this." James picks a rate that is much too high, putting the child into fluid overload.
, To prevent this type of error from recurring in this unit, which of the following is MOST important?
(A) Clear medical guidelines for fluid replacement in patients of all ages
(B) An improved culture of safety and teamwork
(C) Closer supervision of residents, especially in the first year
(D) More severe, well-publicized consequences for providers who are reckless - Answers B an improved
culture of teamwork and safety
James is a first-year surgery resident on his first pediatric rotation. His attending (consultant) asks him to
start intravenous (IV) replacement fluids on a two-year-old boy who is having vomiting and diarrhea.
Having trouble remembering the guidelines for calculating fluid replacement rates for very small
children, James asks Maria, a nurse on the unit. Maria responds, "You're the doctor. It's your job to
decide this." James picks a rate that is much too high, putting the child into fluid overload.
Who is likely to be negatively affected by this medical error?
(A) The patient and his family
(B) James (the first-year surgery resident)
(C) Maria (the nurse on the unit)
(D) All of the above - Answers D all of the above
Approximately what percentage of US adults have experienced a medical error in their own or a family
member's care at some point in their life?
(A) 1 percent
(B) 5 percent
(C) 33 percent
(D) 66 percent - Answers c 33%
"Patient safety" means: