1. Which of the following results in the most deaths?

• a. Motor vehicle accidents
• b. Medical errors
• c. Breast cancer
• d. AIDS

2. In 2008, Medicare discontinued reimbursement for which of the following preventable complications incurred during an inpatient stay?

• a. Viral pneumonia, hypovolemic shock
• b. Pressure ulcer, foreign object left in place after surgery
• c. Sinusitis, tendonitis
• d. Hypertension, osteopenia

3. Medical errors are usually the result of an individual's carelessness or misconduct.

• a. True
• b. False

4. An adverse event is defined as:

• a. The failure of a planned action to be completed as intended.
• b. The use of the wrong plan to achieve a certain aim.
• c. An injury caused by medical management rather than the underlying condition of the patient.
• d. The need to ask why the error occurred and make changes.

5. Which of the following is an example of a potential adverse event?

• a. The improper marking of the surgical site leads to the amputation of the wrong foot
• b. An undetected design flaw in an airplane causes the pilot to lose control of the plane
• c. A dead battery on an automatic external defibrillator leads to the death of a patient
• d. An OT notices a discrepancy between the type of equipment ordered and the type of procedure done by the orthopedic surgeon and calls the error to the attention of the treating doctor

6. Misdiagnosis is a major factor in delayed treatment, which can be fatal.

• a. True
• b. False

7. A frequently reported medication error is:

• a. An ordered medication was administered after consultation with the prescriber.
• b. A medication was labeled incorrectly by the pharmaceutical company.
• c. The dose administered differed from that prescribed.
• d. The prescription was scrawled by the physician.

8. According to United States Pharmacopeia (USP), the medications most often with errors are:

• a. Insulin, heparin, warfarin, and albuterol.
• b. Insulin, chemotherapy drugs, lidocaine, and Apresoline.
• c. Albuterol, epinephrine, atropine, and sodium bicarbonate.
• d. Heparin, aspirin, nitroglycerine, and codeine.

9. What important step to improve patient safety did Florida start on July 1, 2003? The state requires physicians:

• a. Read each prescription to the patient so they know what it says in case the pharmacist asks.
• b. Either print legibly or type prescriptions.
• c. Who write illegible prescriptions, be reported to their licensing board.
• d. Check if the patient has allergies and document on the prescription.

10. All of the following are examples of practice errors except:

• a. Causing physical harm to the patient.
• b. Failure to greet the patient cheerfully.
• c. Creating unrealistic treatment expectations.
• d. Failure to provide needed services.

11. Cost containment is a factor associated with an increased rate of adverse events.

• a. True
• b. False

12. Which of the following is a way to help reduce the medical error rate?

• a. Showing up for work no matter how you feel
• b. Using computerized medication ordering
• c. Working double shifts to help your agency cope with heavy patient loads
• d. Working without complaint in noisy environments despite many distractions

13. Handwashing compliance has been shown to have little effect on the overall incidence of nosocomial infections.

• a. True
• b. False

14. A risk factor for falls is:

• a. Need for assistance in getting out of bed or transferring to and from a chair.
• b. Inability to "know one's own strength."
• c. Unwillingness to take prescribed medications.
• d. An introspective personality.

15. An intervention shown to reduce injuries from falls is:

• a. A program for keeping the floors impeccably clean and polished.
• b. Environmental modification combined with education and counseling.
• c. Written instructions about how to reduce falls.
• d. Increasing the use of psychotropic drugs and benzodiazepines.

16. Occupational therapists have a duty to question medication orders they believe are below the accepted standard of care or in violation of an employer policy.

• a. True
• b. False

17. You should document staff opinions if necessary in order to give an accurate picture of the patient.

• a. True
• b. False

18. According to the Joint Commission, a sentinel event is defined as:

• a. A risk-reduction meeting to come up with a corrective action plan.
• b. Any unexpected occurrence involving death or serious physical or psychological injury.
• c. Any error in system design, faulty installation or maintenance of equipment, or ineffective organizational infrastructure.
• d. Any error that could have caused harm but didn't because someone intervened.

19. The principal root cause of sentinel events is:

• a. Insufficient nursing staff.
• b. Inadequate communication between care providers or between care providers and patients/families.
• c. Substance abuse by care providers.
• d. Improperly maintained surgical equipment.

20. Root cause analysis (RCA) is:

• a. A process for discovering basic and contributing causes of error with the continuing goal of preventing recurrence.
• b. A preliminary analysis of serious patient injuries.
• c. An exploration of all adverse incidents and malpractice actions at a facility.
• d. A way of distinguishing injuries caused by medical management from all other injuries to patients.

21. A thorough root-cause analysis must contain:

• a. Final determination of who was at fault.
• b. A report to the person's licensing board.
• c. Examination of underlying cause-and-effect systems through a series of "why" questions.
• d. Identification of others who may have contributed to the error.

22. In the state of Florida, reporting of sentinel events is:

• a. Voluntary.
• b. Mandatory.
• c. Recommended.
• d. Not required.

23. Florida law requires that healthcare facilities notify each patient about adverse incidents that result in serious harm to the patient, and this can be used as evidence in a court case.

• a. True
• b. False