Nursing & Quality Improvement
What is the primary goal of a High Reliability Organization (HRO)?
A. Reducing staffing costs across units
B. Achieving consistent excellence in safety and quality over time
C. Maximizing profit and minimizing expenses
D. Standardizing billing procedures
B. Achieving consistent excellence in safety and quality over time
What are Nursing-Sensitive Indicators (NSIs)?
A) Measures of patient satisfaction only
B) Indicators reflecting nursing care structure, processes, and outcomes
C) Metrics unrelated to nursing interventions
D) Measures of physician performance
B) Indicators reflecting nursing care structure, processes, and outcomes
What is one primary goal of Quality Improvement in healthcare?
A. Lowering employee wages
B. Enhancing patient outcomes
C. Reducing hospital building costs
D. Increasing patient wait times
B. Enhancing patient outcomes
A hospital wants to reduce surgical site infections and maintain consistent safety performance across departments. Which HRO principle would best support this goal?
A. Limiting team communication to only top management
B. Avoiding process changes during patient care
C. Promoting teamwork and consistent adherence to safety protocols
D. Prioritizing administrative workflow over clinical outcomes
C. Promoting teamwork and consistent adherence to safety protocols
Which organization promotes the use of NSIs in healthcare settings?
A. CDC
B. ANA (American Nurses Association)
C. FDA
D. IRS
B. ANA (American Nurses Association)
What does "QI" stand for in healthcare?
A. Quantitative Information
B. Quick Intervention
C. Quality Improvement
D. Qualified Individuals
C. Quality Improvement
A healthcare organization claims to be an HRO but continues to experience repeated medication errors in the same unit. As a nurse leader, how would you evaluate this claim?
A. Accept the claim since minor errors are inevitable in high-risk settings
B. Recommend the unit increase its patient load to improve efficiency
C. Question the organization's reliability and suggest a deeper analysis of team processes and systems
D. Conclude that errors are unrelated to HRO principles
C. Question the organization's reliability and suggest a deeper analysis of team processes and systems
NSIs help in evaluating the quality of care provided by:
A. Surgeons
B. Pharmacists
C. Nurses
D. Technicians
C. Nurses
How does Quality Assurance (QA) differ from Quality Improvement (QI)?
A. QA focuses on innovation; QI checks errors
B. QA is about rules; QI is about continuous improvement
C. QA is a form of punishment; QI is a reward system
D. QA and QI are identical
B. QA is about rules; QI is about continuous improvement
Which of the following are essential components of effective outcomes measurement in healthcare systems working toward the Quadruple Aim?
(Select all that apply)
A. Transparency
B. Financial audits
C. Integrated care
D. Interoperability
E. Electronic billing systems
A. Transparency C. Integrated care D. Interoperability
Why are NSIs important for hospital accreditation and benchmarking?
A. They improve financial audits
B. They highlight nurse contributions to patient outcomes
C. They increase physician referrals
D. They reduce tax payments
B. They highlight nurse contributions to patient outcomes
Why is data collection important in QI?
A. It helps fire underperforming employees
B. It adds more paperwork
C. It identifies performance gaps and guides decisions
D. It replaces patient records
C. It identifies performance gaps and guides decisions
✅ True or False Questions:
Achieving outcomes is more important than the process used to achieve them.
❌ False – The process is equally important as the outcome.
Which of the following is not typically considered a Nurse Sensitive Indicator?
A. Pressure ulcers
B. Falls with injury
C. Catheter-associated infections
D. Cardiac surgery mortality rates
D. Cardiac surgery mortality rates
What is another name for a Fishbone Diagram?
A. 5S Diagram
B. Gantt Chart
C. Ishikawa Diagram
D. Spider Diagram
C. Ishikawa Diagram