Question 1

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one way to balance the competing cultural values of blamelessness versus accountability is to establish a "just culture."

Accepted Answer

A "just culture" promotes a balance by encouraging accountability and learning from mistakes while avoiding punitive measures for errors, thus addressing both blamelessness and accountability.

Question 2

Smart pump technologies are designed for safe administration of high-hazard drugs and to reduce adverse drug events during intravenous medication administration. Smart pumps have software that is programmed to reflect the facility's infusion parameters and a drug library that compares normal dosing rates with those programmed into the pump.

Accepted Answer

Smart pumps are equipped with software and drug libraries to ensure safe administration by comparing programmed doses with standard dosing parameters, thus reducing the risk of adverse drug events.

Question 3

Clinical decision making is guided by targeted information delivery ensuring that the five rights of clinical decision support are implemented: the right information provided to the right person in the right format through the right channel at the right time in workflow.

Accepted Answer

The five rights of clinical decision support are a framework to ensure that healthcare providers receive the necessary information to make informed decisions, improving patient care and outcomes.

Question 4

Radio frequency identifier technologies have both supply chain and patient care applications to patient safety.

Accepted Answer

Radio frequency identifier (RFID) technologies are used in supply chains for tracking inventory and in healthcare for tracking patient information and ensuring medication safety.

Question 5

A nurse is reading research on safety initiatives and reviews initiatives from which agency?
A) Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality
B) Food and Drug Administration
C) Medical Product Safety Network
D) The Joint Commission

Accepted Answer

The Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ) focuses on improving the safety and quality of the healthcare system, making it the relevant agency for safety initiatives.

Question 6

An error in medication administration occurs, resulting in an adverse patient outcome. The organization reviews system processes that need to be changed so that similar errors are avoided in the future. This process is known as a:
A) root-case analysis.
B) human error evaluation.
C) technology implementation evaluation.
D) pharmaceutical error analysis.

Accepted Answer

Root-cause analysis is a method used to identify the underlying reasons for an error or problem, with the aim of preventing recurrence by addressing systemic issues.

Question 7

A healthcare organization partners with a technology manufacturer to identify risks to patients. This approach to safety is known as a:
A) systems engineering approach.
B) human factors engineering approach.
C) health information technology approach.
D) safety culture approach.

Accepted Answer

A systems engineering approach involves analyzing and designing complex systems, such as healthcare, to identify and mitigate risks, ensuring patient safety by considering all components and their interactions.

Question 8

A nurse is educating a new nursing student on the culture of safety in the healthcare organization. The nurse emphasizes which of the following as essential to a culture of safety?
A) Leadership oversight and support
B) Simulation of adverse events
C) Use of a standardized nursing terminology
D) Implementation of an adverse event response team

Accepted Answer

Leadership oversight and support are essential to a culture of safety as they ensure that safety protocols are prioritized, resources are allocated, and a non-punitive environment is fostered where staff feel comfortable reporting errors or near misses.

Question 9

A nurse administrator is reviewing data from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on patient safety and develops a database for medical errors and near misses in the healthcare facility. This database addresses which gap that was recognized by the GAO?
A) A lack of valid and accurate measurement of how frequently certain adverse events occur
B) A gap in the available information on the experience of hospitals that have previously used specific patient safety implementation strategies
C) A deficit in the information about the effect of contextual factors on implementation of patient safety practices
D) A lack of organization leadership and collaboration in support of patient safety

Accepted Answer

The database addresses the gap of lacking valid and accurate measurement of how frequently certain adverse events occur by systematically collecting and analyzing data on medical errors and near misses.

Question 10

A nurse is teaching a nursing student on the role of safety in health information technology. Which statement by the nurse is correct?
A) "Health information technology does not replace critical thinking, solid nursing practice, and careful patient monitoring."
B) "Health information technology reduces error because it serves as a backup to critical thinking and patient monitoring."
C) "Health information technology only improves patient safety and quality of care."
D) "Health information technology reduces the need for vigilance in patient safety."

Accepted Answer

Health information technology is a tool that supports but does not replace critical thinking, solid nursing practice, and careful patient monitoring. It is essential for nurses to continue using their clinical judgment and skills in conjunction with technology.

Question 11

A patient is allergic to penicillin, and a trigger in the electronic health record will alarm after which of the following occurs?
A) A physician enters a medication order for penicillin.
B) A nurse reviews the documentation on the patient's allergies in the electronic health record.
C) A nurse enters data into the patient's medical history.
D) A pharmacist reviews the patient's demographic information.

Accepted Answer

The alarm in the electronic health record is triggered when a physician enters a medication order for penicillin, as this action directly relates to the patient's documented allergy.

Question 12

An electronic health record (EHR) undergoes an upgrade, and in order to ensure the end users' ability to use the system, which action should the informatics nurse take?
A) Provide end user training and support on the EHR upgrades.
B) Collect data on the end users' comfort with the upgrade.
C) Conduct a survey on the end users' satisfaction with the EHR.
D) Document usage of end users of the EHR with the upgrades.

Accepted Answer

Providing end user training and support on the EHR upgrades ensures that users are familiar with the new features and can effectively use the system, which is crucial for successful implementation and user satisfaction.

Question 13

Smart pump technologies are designed to promote safe administration of high-hazard drugs.

Accepted Answer

Smart pump technologies are equipped with safety features like drug libraries and dose error reduction systems to ensure the safe administration of high-hazard drugs.

Question 14

A benefit of computerized physician order entry is the ability of alerts that warn against the possibility of drug interaction, allergy, or overdose.

Accepted Answer

Computerized physician order entry systems can provide real-time alerts to healthcare providers about potential drug interactions, allergies, or overdoses, enhancing patient safety.

Question 15

A nurse is conducting research on methods to reduce alarm fatigue. Which of the following is one way technology can aid in this research?
A) Feed alarm data into a reporting database for further analysis
B) Collect qualitative data from surveys completed by nurses
C) Review online standards and guidelines from nursing informatics organizations
D) Analyze data on admissions and discharges in medical records

Accepted Answer

Feeding alarm data into a reporting database allows for quantitative analysis of alarm frequency and patterns, which can help identify ways to reduce alarm fatigue.

Question 16

A healthcare organization creates a blame-free environment in which staff member can report error and commit additional resources to address safety concerns. This organization is said to have a:
A) culture of safety.
B) culture of accountability.
C) safety promotion culture.
D) failure-tolerant culture.

Accepted Answer

A culture of safety is characterized by an environment where staff can report errors without fear of blame, and resources are committed to addressing safety concerns.

Question 17

A staff nurse consistently exhibits disregard for established policies and procedures in an organization where there is just culture. Which statement by the nurse manager is correct about a just culture?
A) "Reckless behaviors like ignoring policies and procedures will not be tolerated."
B) "A just culture involves error reporting, not individual behaviors."
C) "Personal accountability is not part of just culture."
D) "Workflow, including procedures and policies, can be changed for individual nurses."

Accepted Answer

A just culture emphasizes accountability and does not tolerate reckless behaviors, such as consistently ignoring established policies and procedures.

Question 18

A healthcare organization has committed to a culture of safety. Which of the following is a strategy to encourage adoption of a culture of safety?
A) Collaboration between leadership and staff on patient safety initiatives
B) Systemwide safety teams of administrators
C) Leadership safety directives
D) Individual accountability for development of safety plans

Accepted Answer

Collaboration between leadership and staff on patient safety initiatives is a strategy that encourages a culture of safety by promoting open communication, shared responsibility, and collective problem-solving.

Question 19

A nurse manager is brainstorming ideas for the promotion of safety in patient care in the nursing unit. Which activity has been recommended by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to promote safety?
A) Appoint a safety champion for the unit.
B) Change unit policies on error reporting.
C) Post the details on unit about previous patient safety errors.
D) Discourage collaboration among disciplines for patient safety.

Accepted Answer

Appointing a safety champion for the unit is a proactive approach recommended by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to promote safety by ensuring continuous focus and accountability on safety practices.

Question 20

A nurse understands that medication errors occur commonly with the use of health information technology and uses which of the following to reduce this risk?
A) Bar-code medication administration
B) Standardized terminology in nursing technology
C) Interoperability
D) Data mining and dissemination

Accepted Answer

Bar-code medication administration is a technology specifically designed to reduce medication errors by ensuring that the correct medication is given to the correct patient at the correct time.

Quiz 15: Informatics Tools to Promote Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes

According to the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality, one way to balance the competing cultural values of blamelessness versus accountability is to establish a "just culture."

Clinical decision making is guided by targeted information delivery ensuring that the five rights of clinical decision support are implemented: the right information provided to the right person in the right format through the right channel at the right time in workflow.

Radio frequency identifier technologies have both supply chain and patient care applications to patient safety.

A nurse is reading research on safety initiatives and reviews initiatives from which agency?

An error in medication administration occurs, resulting in an adverse patient outcome. The organization reviews system processes that need to be changed so that similar errors are avoided in the future. This process is known as a:

A healthcare organization partners with a technology manufacturer to identify risks to patients. This approach to safety is known as a:

A nurse is educating a new nursing student on the culture of safety in the healthcare organization. The nurse emphasizes which of the following as essential to a culture of safety?

A nurse administrator is reviewing data from the Government Accountability Office (GAO) on patient safety and develops a database for medical errors and near misses in the healthcare facility. This database addresses which gap that was recognized by the GAO?

A nurse is teaching a nursing student on the role of safety in health information technology. Which statement by the nurse is correct?

A patient is allergic to penicillin, and a trigger in the electronic health record will alarm after which of the following occurs?

An electronic health record (EHR) undergoes an upgrade, and in order to ensure the end users' ability to use the system, which action should the informatics nurse take?

Smart pump technologies are designed to promote safe administration of high-hazard drugs.

A benefit of computerized physician order entry is the ability of alerts that warn against the possibility of drug interaction, allergy, or overdose.

A nurse is conducting research on methods to reduce alarm fatigue. Which of the following is one way technology can aid in this research?

A healthcare organization creates a blame-free environment in which staff member can report error and commit additional resources to address safety concerns. This organization is said to have a:

A staff nurse consistently exhibits disregard for established policies and procedures in an organization where there is just culture. Which statement by the nurse manager is correct about a just culture?

A healthcare organization has committed to a culture of safety. Which of the following is a strategy to encourage adoption of a culture of safety?

A nurse manager is brainstorming ideas for the promotion of safety in patient care in the nursing unit. Which activity has been recommended by the Institute for Healthcare Improvement to promote safety?

A nurse understands that medication errors occur commonly with the use of health information technology and uses which of the following to reduce this risk?