Commun-ication
This standardized tool stands for Situation, Background, Assessment, Recommendation
What is SBAR?
This type of patient safety event is the most commonly reported worldwide.
What are falls?
Safe medication administration is guided by the “5 Rights.” Name two of them.
Right patient, right drug, right dose, right route, right time.
This practice is the single most effective method to prevent healthcare-associated infections.
What is hand hygiene?
The Joint Commission requires this many identifiers before giving care.
What are two identifiers?
Errors often occur during this transition, when patient care responsibility shifts between providers.
What is a handoff (or handover)?
Failure to document and verify drug allergies is an example of what type of safety risk?
What is a medication safety risk?
This practice involves organizing and verifying all medications a patient takes—using tools like reconciliation trifold sheets—to help avoid errors.
What is medication reconciliation?
Masks, gowns, and gloves are types of ___.
What is personal protective equipment (PPE)?
Name two acceptable patient identifiers.
Name, date of birth, medical record number.
True or False: Using abbreviations in orders or notes is always safe.
False — abbreviations can be misinterpreted and are a major source of errors.
Intensive care units and operating rooms are considered what type of patient care environments?
What are high-risk environments?
True or False: Look-alike/sound-alike medications are a known cause of medication errors.
True
Not covering your mouth when coughing or sneezing can spread these types of droplets that carry viruses and bacteria.
What are respiratory droplets?
This technology, often placed on the patient’s wrist, is scanned before giving medications or treatments to ensure the correct match.
What is a barcoded ID wristband?
Repeating back important information to confirm accuracy is called ___.
What is a read-back (or “closed-loop communication”)?
Age, confusion, and certain medications are examples of ___.
What are fall risk factors?
According to the CDC, older adults are hospitalized nearly seven times more often after this type of event related to medications.
What is an adverse drug event?
MRSA and C. difficile are examples of ___.
What are healthcare-associated infections (HAIs)?
Relying on this alone, instead of using at least two identifiers, is unsafe because many patients can share it.
What is a patient’s room number?
This organization offers free online courses in quality improvement and patient safety for interprofessional learners.
What is the Institute for Healthcare Improvement (IHI)?
This potentially fatal hazard can be prevented by installing detectors near bedrooms and avoiding using stoves or ovens for heat.
What is carbon monoxide poisoning?
In 1999, this landmark report called for major patient safety initiatives after estimating tens of thousands of preventable deaths annually from medical errors.
What is To Err Is Human?
Counting instruments and sponges prevents this complication.
What is a retained surgical item?
Before a high-risk procedure, providers should use a ______ in addition to wristband verification.
What is a surgical/procedural time-out?