CERTIFIED PROFESSIONAL IN PATIENT SAFETY
(CPPS) EXAM QUESTION AND CORRECT ANSWER|
LATEST UPDATE 2026/27
You are educating clinical managers in your healthcare facility on how to identify appropriate
events for conducting a root cause analysis. Which event provides the best opportunity for an
rca?
A. A post-op patient removes his own iv causing a skin tear from the tape
B. A patient with no known allergies experiences an anaphylactic reaction to an antibiotic
requiring transfer to icu.
C. The biopsy samples from a colonoscopy are never received by pathology after the procedure
D. There have been 3 occurrences of depressed respirations in the same department in the last
4 months related to sedation
Accurate Answer: c. The biopsy samples from a colonoscopy are never received by pathology
after the procedure
The instrument count is incorrect at the conclusion of a surgical procedure. The hospital policy
does not stipulate that the surgeon remain on the premises until an x-ray is obtained. The
surgeon leaves the hospital to catch a flight. The x-ray reveals a retained instrument. Another
surgeon is contacted to remove the retained instrument. What should leadership do next?
A. Create a process map of how instruments are managed during surgery looking for latent
flaws
,B. Revise the hospital policy to make it clear that surgeons must stay in the or until instrument
count issues are resolved
C. Counsel the surgeon about customary clinical standards for a surgeon using appropriate
accountability system
D. Reeducate the or nursing staff on keeping track of instruments on the sterile field
The Accurate Answer: c. Counsel the surgeon about customary clinical standards for a surgeon
using appropriate accountability system
A nurse on a medical-surgical unit does not comply with barcode medication administration
(bcma) while caring for one of her patients. What should her supervisor do?
A. Ask staff if there are adequate scanners to meet their needs
B. Counsel the nurse on the importance of following policy
C. Request that the pharmacy run a report of bcma compliance rates of the unit
D. Ask the nurse what was occurring at the time, and why she chose to bypass the policy
Accurate Answer: d.
,The board of hospital a wants to know how hospital a's safety performance in central line
associated blood stream infection (clabsi) compares to that of other hospitals in their region.
Which data display would best inform them for that decision?
A. Control charts of overall infection rate by quarter for the past two years for each hospital in
the region
B. A table indicating the clabsi infection rates of all hospitals in the region relative to the
national healthcare safety network benchmark for clabsi infections for the past 2 years
C. A written report summarizing the current clabsi prevention protocols of each hospital in the
region
D. A table showing the number of clabsi infections in each hospital in the region by quarter for
the past 2 years
Accurate Answer: b.
Your organization utilizes a "home grown" electronic safety event reporting system that is no
longer meeting the needs of the organization. Hospital administration is asking for your opinion
for next steps. What next steps would you take to identify a replacement system?
A. Ask information systems to either fix the old one or build a new one
B. Identify key stakeholders and perform a gap analysis of current state to ideal state
C. Poll colleagues and purchase what they use
, D. Purchase the lease expensive software and grow with it
Accurate Answer: b
Your organization is preparing to change to a new electronic health record. Many departments
have been involved with the planning of this huge effort. What would you suggest as part of the
preparation strategy?
A. Conduct a root cause analysis
B. Conduct a failure modes and effects analysis
C. Offer a "plan, do, study, act" session
D. Offer to do a claims analysis for any related errors
Accurate Answer: b
A new cath lab is under construction in our hospital, and the medical director contacts you to
express concerns related to the transport of patients from the cath lab to the icu. You agree to
assist in the design of an fmea. Components of the fmea will include:
A. Assembling a multidisplinary team whose members will brainstorm potential failures
B. Conducting the 5 "whys" to figure out what could go wrong
(CPPS) EXAM QUESTION AND CORRECT ANSWER|
LATEST UPDATE 2026/27
You are educating clinical managers in your healthcare facility on how to identify appropriate
events for conducting a root cause analysis. Which event provides the best opportunity for an
rca?
A. A post-op patient removes his own iv causing a skin tear from the tape
B. A patient with no known allergies experiences an anaphylactic reaction to an antibiotic
requiring transfer to icu.
C. The biopsy samples from a colonoscopy are never received by pathology after the procedure
D. There have been 3 occurrences of depressed respirations in the same department in the last
4 months related to sedation
Accurate Answer: c. The biopsy samples from a colonoscopy are never received by pathology
after the procedure
The instrument count is incorrect at the conclusion of a surgical procedure. The hospital policy
does not stipulate that the surgeon remain on the premises until an x-ray is obtained. The
surgeon leaves the hospital to catch a flight. The x-ray reveals a retained instrument. Another
surgeon is contacted to remove the retained instrument. What should leadership do next?
A. Create a process map of how instruments are managed during surgery looking for latent
flaws
,B. Revise the hospital policy to make it clear that surgeons must stay in the or until instrument
count issues are resolved
C. Counsel the surgeon about customary clinical standards for a surgeon using appropriate
accountability system
D. Reeducate the or nursing staff on keeping track of instruments on the sterile field
The Accurate Answer: c. Counsel the surgeon about customary clinical standards for a surgeon
using appropriate accountability system
A nurse on a medical-surgical unit does not comply with barcode medication administration
(bcma) while caring for one of her patients. What should her supervisor do?
A. Ask staff if there are adequate scanners to meet their needs
B. Counsel the nurse on the importance of following policy
C. Request that the pharmacy run a report of bcma compliance rates of the unit
D. Ask the nurse what was occurring at the time, and why she chose to bypass the policy
Accurate Answer: d.
,The board of hospital a wants to know how hospital a's safety performance in central line
associated blood stream infection (clabsi) compares to that of other hospitals in their region.
Which data display would best inform them for that decision?
A. Control charts of overall infection rate by quarter for the past two years for each hospital in
the region
B. A table indicating the clabsi infection rates of all hospitals in the region relative to the
national healthcare safety network benchmark for clabsi infections for the past 2 years
C. A written report summarizing the current clabsi prevention protocols of each hospital in the
region
D. A table showing the number of clabsi infections in each hospital in the region by quarter for
the past 2 years
Accurate Answer: b.
Your organization utilizes a "home grown" electronic safety event reporting system that is no
longer meeting the needs of the organization. Hospital administration is asking for your opinion
for next steps. What next steps would you take to identify a replacement system?
A. Ask information systems to either fix the old one or build a new one
B. Identify key stakeholders and perform a gap analysis of current state to ideal state
C. Poll colleagues and purchase what they use
, D. Purchase the lease expensive software and grow with it
Accurate Answer: b
Your organization is preparing to change to a new electronic health record. Many departments
have been involved with the planning of this huge effort. What would you suggest as part of the
preparation strategy?
A. Conduct a root cause analysis
B. Conduct a failure modes and effects analysis
C. Offer a "plan, do, study, act" session
D. Offer to do a claims analysis for any related errors
Accurate Answer: b
A new cath lab is under construction in our hospital, and the medical director contacts you to
express concerns related to the transport of patients from the cath lab to the icu. You agree to
assist in the design of an fmea. Components of the fmea will include:
A. Assembling a multidisplinary team whose members will brainstorm potential failures
B. Conducting the 5 "whys" to figure out what could go wrong
