CPPS Practice Exam Questions With Answers
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
The answer is 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 answer is 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
The answer is D. Ask the nurse what was occurring at the time, and why she chose to bypass the
policy
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
The answer is 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
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
The answer is B. Identify key stakeholders and perform a gap analysis of current state to ideal state
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
The answer is b. Conduct a failure modes and effects analysis
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
c. Listing potential root causes of adverse events in the current cath lab
d. Asking the medical director to participate in leadership rounds in the current cath lab to identify
potential safety risks
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
The answer is 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 answer is 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
The answer is D. Ask the nurse what was occurring at the time, and why she chose to bypass the
policy
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
The answer is 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
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
The answer is B. Identify key stakeholders and perform a gap analysis of current state to ideal state
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
The answer is b. Conduct a failure modes and effects analysis
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
c. Listing potential root causes of adverse events in the current cath lab
d. Asking the medical director to participate in leadership rounds in the current cath lab to identify
potential safety risks
