Patient Safety Quiz
Questions: 16 · 10 minutes
1. Before collecting a blood specimen, what is the safest identification approach?
Ask a nearby staff member to confirm the patient by sight
Use the room and bed number because they identify the patient's current location
Match at least two approved patient identifiers with the order and specimen labels
Rely on the first name when only one patient on the unit has that name
2. What is a central purpose of patient safety incident reporting?
To establish legal responsibility for every reported event
To place a permanent warning against the staff member involved
To replace immediate clinical action when a patient has been harmed
To identify hazards and contributing factors so systems can be improved
3. In the SBAR communication framework, what does the “R” represent?
Record: where the information is documented
Recommendation: what action or decision is being requested
Response: what the receiving person says
Risk: the numerical probability of harm
4. What is the main purpose of a procedural time-out immediately before an invasive procedure?
To document that the patient received discharge instructions
To allow one team member to complete the final check without interruption
To replace all earlier consent and pre-procedure verification steps
To confirm the correct patient, procedure, site, and relevant team concerns before starting
5. Which response most closely reflects a just culture after a safety incident?
Avoid discussing individual actions so staff never feel blamed
Examine system conditions and human choices while applying fair, proportionate accountability
Discipline the person closest to the event before reviewing contributing factors
Treat every departure from a procedure as equally serious, regardless of context
6. A patient is admitted from home and reports taking several prescription medicines, supplements, and an occasional nonprescription product. What is medication reconciliation intended to do?
Replace the home medication list with the hospital formulary automatically
Confirm only medicines related to the reason for admission
Build the most accurate current list and compare it with new orders to resolve discrepancies
Delay review until discharge so all medication changes can be considered together
7. A unit has many nonactionable monitor alarms, and staff report difficulty noticing important ones. Which approach best addresses alarm fatigue?
Silence recurring alarms until the next scheduled observation round
Lower the volume of all alarms so the environment is less disruptive
Use identical alarm limits for every patient to simplify responses
Set clinically appropriate parameters, maintain equipment, and discontinue monitoring when no longer indicated
8. A medication error has reached a patient. What should be the immediate priority?
Complete the incident report before discussing the event with anyone
Determine who made the error before examining the patient
Assess and stabilize the patient, then promptly follow the appropriate clinical notification pathway
Wait for symptoms so unnecessary testing can be avoided
9. During an urgent phone call, a clinician receives a verbal medication order. Which action best supports closed-loop communication?
Record the order, read it back clearly, and obtain confirmation from the prescriber
Rely on memory and document the order after the medication is given
Repeat only the medication name because the dose is already in the record
Ask a colleague to interpret any part of the order that was difficult to hear
10. Which statement about gloves and hand hygiene is correct?
Gloves are needed for every patient interaction, even when exposure is not expected
Gloves do not replace hand hygiene and should be changed between distinct tasks when indicated
Hand hygiene is unnecessary after glove removal if the gloves appear intact
The same gloves may be used for multiple tasks on one patient if no blood is visible
11. A hospitalized patient becomes dizzy after a medication change and says they need to walk to the bathroom. What response best addresses the immediate fall concern?
Tell the patient to walk slowly while holding nearby furniture
Ask the patient to remain in bed for the rest of the admission
Wait to intervene unless the patient has previously fallen
Keep assistance within reach, help with mobility, and reassess the patient's fall risk
12. Which example is a forcing function, a safeguard designed to prevent an unsafe action from being completed?
A connector design that physically prevents attachment to an incompatible line
Annual training about tubing misconnections
A warning label placed near a tubing port
A poster reminding staff to check tubing connections
13. A clinician is about to insert a urinary catheter using aseptic technique. When should hand hygiene occur?
Only after the catheter has been inserted and gloves removed
Immediately before the clean or aseptic procedure, followed by appropriate glove use
After putting on sterile gloves, because gloves replace prior hand hygiene
Only if the clinician touched a visibly contaminated surface
14. Which approach best supports prevention of pressure injuries in a patient with limited mobility?
Use an individualized plan addressing mobility, skin checks, pressure redistribution, moisture, and nutrition
Massage every reddened area to restore circulation
Rely on a pressure-redistributing mattress instead of checking the skin
Use a fixed repositioning schedule without considering the patient's condition
15. A clinician notices signs of deterioration, but the first person contacted does not respond to the concern. What is the safest next step?
Escalate through the designated chain of command or urgent-response pathway without unnecessary delay
Wait until the next routine observation to see whether the condition changes
Document the unsuccessful call and take no further action unless asked
Ask the patient to decide whether escalation is clinically necessary
16. Which event is best described as a patient safety near miss?
A planned treatment produces an expected temporary side effect
A hazard is discussed before any error or event has occurred
An error could have harmed a patient but was caught before reaching them
An error reaches a patient and causes lasting harm