1
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & PATIENT SAFETY
NURSING EXAM – ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
2026-27 LATEST VERSION
Focus: Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Patient Safety, Error
Prevention, Quality Improvement Processes
Level: Undergraduate/Postgraduate Nursing
Total Questions: 100
Format: Complex multiple-choice, scenario-based, priority
questions
QUESTIONS 1–20: FUNDAMENTALS OF QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT & PATIENT SAFETY
1. The primary goal of root cause analysis (RCA) in nursing is
to:
,2
A. Identify errors and assign blame
B. Identify underlying causes of adverse events to prevent
recurrence
C. Document errors for litigation
D. Increase workload
Answer: B
Rationale: RCA focuses on system improvements, not individual
blame, to enhance patient safety.
2. Which principle underlies quality improvement in
healthcare?
A. Continuous monitoring and systematic improvement
B. Occasional review of errors
C. Punitive measures only
D. Ignoring near misses
Answer: A
Rationale: QI is iterative, using data to enhance care processes
continuously.
3. Sentinel events require:
A. Immediate investigation, often using RCA
B. Delayed reporting
,3
C. Ignoring near misses
D. Assigning blame to a single nurse
Answer: A
Rationale: Sentinel events trigger thorough investigations to
prevent recurrence.
4. A near miss is best described as:
A. An incident that could have caused harm but did not
B. A successful procedure
C. Routine documentation
D. Unrelated administrative error
Answer: A
Rationale: Near misses provide learning opportunities without
patient harm.
5. Which is a core component of RCA?
A. Data collection, process mapping, identifying root causes,
implementing corrective actions
B. Focusing solely on the nurse’s mistake
C. Ignoring systems failures
D. Assigning blame to providers only
, 4
Answer: A
Rationale: RCA is systematic, targeting process and system
improvement.
6. A nurse identifies multiple medication errors in a unit. BEST
first step:
A. Collect data on each event for analysis
B. Punish involved staff
C. Ignore incidents
D. Blame the pharmacy
Answer: A
Rationale: Data collection is essential to identify patterns and
underlying causes.
7. Which tool is often used to visualize contributing factors in
RCA?
A. Fishbone/Ishikawa diagram
B. Pie chart
C. Flow chart only
D. Bar graph
Answer: A
Rationale: Fishbone diagrams categorize potential causes
systematically.
QUALITY IMPROVEMENT & PATIENT SAFETY
NURSING EXAM – ROOT CAUSE ANALYSIS
2026-27 LATEST VERSION
Focus: Root Cause Analysis (RCA), Patient Safety, Error
Prevention, Quality Improvement Processes
Level: Undergraduate/Postgraduate Nursing
Total Questions: 100
Format: Complex multiple-choice, scenario-based, priority
questions
QUESTIONS 1–20: FUNDAMENTALS OF QUALITY
IMPROVEMENT & PATIENT SAFETY
1. The primary goal of root cause analysis (RCA) in nursing is
to:
,2
A. Identify errors and assign blame
B. Identify underlying causes of adverse events to prevent
recurrence
C. Document errors for litigation
D. Increase workload
Answer: B
Rationale: RCA focuses on system improvements, not individual
blame, to enhance patient safety.
2. Which principle underlies quality improvement in
healthcare?
A. Continuous monitoring and systematic improvement
B. Occasional review of errors
C. Punitive measures only
D. Ignoring near misses
Answer: A
Rationale: QI is iterative, using data to enhance care processes
continuously.
3. Sentinel events require:
A. Immediate investigation, often using RCA
B. Delayed reporting
,3
C. Ignoring near misses
D. Assigning blame to a single nurse
Answer: A
Rationale: Sentinel events trigger thorough investigations to
prevent recurrence.
4. A near miss is best described as:
A. An incident that could have caused harm but did not
B. A successful procedure
C. Routine documentation
D. Unrelated administrative error
Answer: A
Rationale: Near misses provide learning opportunities without
patient harm.
5. Which is a core component of RCA?
A. Data collection, process mapping, identifying root causes,
implementing corrective actions
B. Focusing solely on the nurse’s mistake
C. Ignoring systems failures
D. Assigning blame to providers only
, 4
Answer: A
Rationale: RCA is systematic, targeting process and system
improvement.
6. A nurse identifies multiple medication errors in a unit. BEST
first step:
A. Collect data on each event for analysis
B. Punish involved staff
C. Ignore incidents
D. Blame the pharmacy
Answer: A
Rationale: Data collection is essential to identify patterns and
underlying causes.
7. Which tool is often used to visualize contributing factors in
RCA?
A. Fishbone/Ishikawa diagram
B. Pie chart
C. Flow chart only
D. Bar graph
Answer: A
Rationale: Fishbone diagrams categorize potential causes
systematically.
