IHI PS 101 – Patient Safety Fundamentals – 2026 – Study and Training
Guide
According to WHO, in developed countries worldwide, what is the approximate likelihood that a
hospitalized patient will be harmed while receiving care?
A <1%
B 10%
C 50%
D >75% - correct answer ✔✔ B 10%
Since the publication of To Err Is Human in 1999, the health care industry overall has seen which
of the following improvements?
(A) A 75 percent reduction in preventable medical errors
(B) Stronger repercussions for providers who commit preventable medical errors
(C) Wider awareness that preventable errors are a problem
(D) Wider recognition that medical errors are most often attributable to individual performance
(E) All of the above - correct answer ✔✔ C wider awareness that preventable errors are a
problem
Safety has been called a "dynamic non-event" because when humans are in a potentially
hazardous environment:
(A) It is natural to establish and follow safe practices
(B) It requires the same kind of thinking that causes problems to set them right
(C) It takes significant work to ensure nothing bad happens
, (D) There is generally a high prevalence of "near misses" - correct answer ✔✔ C it take
significant work to ensure nothing bad happens
James is a first-year surgery resident on his first pediatric rotation. His attending (consultant)
asks him to start intravenous (IV) replacement fluids on a two-year-old boy who is having
vomiting and diarrhea. Having trouble remembering the guidelines for calculating fluid
replacement rates for very small children, James asks Maria, a nurse on the unit. Maria
responds, "You're the doctor. It's your job to decide this." James picks a rate that is much too
high, putting the child into fluid overload.
To prevent this type of error from recurring in this unit, which of the following is MOST
important?
(A) Clear medical guidelines for fluid replacement in patients of all ages
(B) An improved culture of safety and teamwork
(C) Closer supervision of residents, especially in the first year
(D) More severe, well-publicized consequences for providers who are reckless - correct answer
✔✔ B an improved culture of teamwork and safety
James is a first-year surgery resident on his first pediatric rotation. His attending (consultant)
asks him to start intravenous (IV) replacement fluids on a two-year-old boy who is having
vomiting and diarrhea. Having trouble remembering the guidelines for calculating fluid
replacement rates for very small children, James asks Maria, a nurse on the unit. Maria
responds, "You're the doctor. It's your job to decide this." James picks a rate that is much too
high, putting the child into fluid overload.
Who is likely to be negatively affected by this medical error?
(A) The patient and his family
(B) James (the first-year surgery resident)
(C) Maria (the nurse on the unit)
Guide
According to WHO, in developed countries worldwide, what is the approximate likelihood that a
hospitalized patient will be harmed while receiving care?
A <1%
B 10%
C 50%
D >75% - correct answer ✔✔ B 10%
Since the publication of To Err Is Human in 1999, the health care industry overall has seen which
of the following improvements?
(A) A 75 percent reduction in preventable medical errors
(B) Stronger repercussions for providers who commit preventable medical errors
(C) Wider awareness that preventable errors are a problem
(D) Wider recognition that medical errors are most often attributable to individual performance
(E) All of the above - correct answer ✔✔ C wider awareness that preventable errors are a
problem
Safety has been called a "dynamic non-event" because when humans are in a potentially
hazardous environment:
(A) It is natural to establish and follow safe practices
(B) It requires the same kind of thinking that causes problems to set them right
(C) It takes significant work to ensure nothing bad happens
, (D) There is generally a high prevalence of "near misses" - correct answer ✔✔ C it take
significant work to ensure nothing bad happens
James is a first-year surgery resident on his first pediatric rotation. His attending (consultant)
asks him to start intravenous (IV) replacement fluids on a two-year-old boy who is having
vomiting and diarrhea. Having trouble remembering the guidelines for calculating fluid
replacement rates for very small children, James asks Maria, a nurse on the unit. Maria
responds, "You're the doctor. It's your job to decide this." James picks a rate that is much too
high, putting the child into fluid overload.
To prevent this type of error from recurring in this unit, which of the following is MOST
important?
(A) Clear medical guidelines for fluid replacement in patients of all ages
(B) An improved culture of safety and teamwork
(C) Closer supervision of residents, especially in the first year
(D) More severe, well-publicized consequences for providers who are reckless - correct answer
✔✔ B an improved culture of teamwork and safety
James is a first-year surgery resident on his first pediatric rotation. His attending (consultant)
asks him to start intravenous (IV) replacement fluids on a two-year-old boy who is having
vomiting and diarrhea. Having trouble remembering the guidelines for calculating fluid
replacement rates for very small children, James asks Maria, a nurse on the unit. Maria
responds, "You're the doctor. It's your job to decide this." James picks a rate that is much too
high, putting the child into fluid overload.
Who is likely to be negatively affected by this medical error?
(A) The patient and his family
(B) James (the first-year surgery resident)
(C) Maria (the nurse on the unit)
