Question 1

A benefit of computerized physician order entry is the ability of alerts that warn against the possibility of drug interaction, allergy, or overdose.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 2

The GAO (2016) interviewed patient safety experts and the related literature to identify three key gaps in patient safety practice implementation:
a lack of (1) information about the effect of contextual factors on implementation of patient safety practices, (2) sufficiently detailed information on the experience of hospitals that have previously used specific patient safety implementation strategies, and (3) valid and accurate measurement of how frequently certain adverse events occur. (p. 22)
Select one of these gaps and describe in detail how nursing informatics could help close this gap.

Accepted Answer

The answer of The GAO (2016) interviewed patient safety experts...

Question 3

The top patient safety issues are identified as early discharge and polypharmacy.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 4

Although nurses have an ethical duty to ensure patient safety, increasing demands on professionals in complex and fast-paced healthcare environments may lead to workarounds. What is a workaround?

Accepted Answer

A)  A practice that deviates from accepted and expected practice protocols 
B)  A shortcut to save time 
C)  An inappropriate action or omission of appropriate actions 
D)  All of these are correct.

Question 5

A nurse is conducting research on methods to reduce alarm fatigue. Which of the following is one way technology can aid in this research?

Accepted Answer

A)  Feed alarm data into a reporting database for further analysis 
B)  Collect qualitative data from surveys completed by nurses 
C)  Review online standards and guidelines from nursing informatics organizations 
D)  Analyze data on admissions and discharges in medical records

Question 6

Nursing informatics skills and knowledge can assist in data collection to identify adverse events in hospitals.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 7

A healthcare organization partners with a technology manufacturer to identify risks to patients. This approach to safety is known as a:

Accepted Answer

A)  systems engineering approach. 
B)  human factors engineering approach. 
C)  health information technology approach. 
D)  safety culture approach.

Question 8

Multiple false alarms may lead to alarm fatigue and compromise patient safety by slow response or no response to physiologic alarms. Strategies to improve alarm response include:

Accepted Answer

A)  increasing the sensitivity of the physiologic monitors and feeding alarms directly to beepers or phones carried by professionals. 
B)  feeding alarm data into a reporting database for further analysis. 
C)  discouraging healthcare professionals from rounding with physicians because they are often guilty of ignoring alarms. 
D)  All of these are correct.

Question 9

What are the current patient safety characteristics of your organizational culture? Identify at least three aspects of your culture that need to be changed with regard to patient safety, and suggest strategies for change.

Accepted Answer

The answer of What are the current patient safety characteristics...

Question 10

An electronic health record (EHR) undergoes an upgrade, and in order to ensure the end users' ability to use the system, which action should the informatics nurse take?

Accepted Answer

A)  Provide end user training and support on the EHR upgrades. 
B)  Collect data on the end users' comfort with the upgrade. 
C)  Conduct a survey on the end users' satisfaction with the EHR. 
D)  Document usage of end users of the EHR with the upgrades.

Question 11

In addition to organizational commitment of resources to address safety concerns, what is a key feature of a safety culture as identified by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality?

Accepted Answer

A)  Acknowledgment of the high-risk nature of an organization's activities and the determination to achieve consistently safe operations 
B)  A blame-free environment where individuals are able to report errors or near misses without fear of reprimand or punishment 
C)  Encouragement of collaboration across ranks and disciplines to seek solutions to patient safety problems 
D)  All of these are correct.

Question 12

Smart pumps are designed for safe administration of high-hazard drugs and to reduce adverse drug events during intravenous medication administration. What happens when a hard alarm is generated by a smart pump?

Accepted Answer

A)  A licensed clinician or a pharmacist can override a hard alarm and administer the drug as programmed. 
B)  The pump must be reprogrammed so that the rate and dose for administration of the high-hazard intravenous drug falls within the facility's safe infusion parameters. 
C)  The nurse must call the physician for a verbal order to turn off the smart pump technology and administer the drug as ordered. 
D)  Members of the biomedical engineering department can reprogram the pump to avoid these nuisance alarms.

Question 13

Describe a current technology that you use in patient care that would benefit from human factors engineering concepts. What are some ways this technology should be improved?

Accepted Answer

The answer of Describe a current technology that you use...

Question 14

Smart pump technologies are designed for safe administration of high-hazard drugs and to reduce adverse drug events during intravenous medication administration. Smart pumps have software that is programmed to reflect the facility's infusion parameters and a drug library that compares normal dosing rates with those programmed into the pump.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 15

Many organizations are looking to informatics technology to help manage complex safety issues by using smart technologies that provide knowledge access to users, provide automated safety checks, and improve communication processes.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 16

A nurse is educating a new nursing student on the culture of safety in the healthcare organization. The nurse emphasizes which of the following as essential to a culture of safety?

Accepted Answer

A)  Leadership oversight and support 
B)  Simulation of adverse events 
C)  Use of a standardized nursing terminology 
D)  Implementation of an adverse event response team

Question 17

Radio frequency identifier (RFID) technology may gradually replace bar-code technology in the medication administration cycle because RFID provides:

Accepted Answer

A)  opportunities to check patient identification before administration of the medication. 
B)  easy integration into the electronic health record. 
C)  reduced potential that a counterfeit medication is inadvertently introduced into the supply. 
D)  All of these are correct.

Question 18

A nurse understands that medication errors occur commonly with the use of health information technology and uses which of the following to reduce this risk?

Accepted Answer

A)  Bar-code medication administration 
B)  Standardized terminology in nursing technology 
C)  Interoperability 
D)  Data mining and dissemination

Question 19

Nurses have an ethical duty to ensure patient safety.

Accepted Answer

A) True 
 B)False

Question 20

A patient is allergic to penicillin, and a trigger in the electronic health record will alarm after which of the following occurs?

Accepted Answer

A)  A physician enters a medication order for penicillin. 
B)  A nurse reviews the documentation on the patient's allergies in the electronic health record. 
C)  A nurse enters data into the patient's medical history. 
D)  A pharmacist reviews the patient's demographic information.

Exam 15: Informatics Tools to Promote Patient Safety and Quality Outcomes

A benefit of computerized physician order entry is the ability of alerts that warn against the possibility of drug interaction, allergy, or overdose.

The top patient safety issues are identified as early discharge and polypharmacy.

Although nurses have an ethical duty to ensure patient safety, increasing demands on professionals in complex and fast-paced healthcare environments may lead to workarounds. What is a workaround?

A nurse is conducting research on methods to reduce alarm fatigue. Which of the following is one way technology can aid in this research?

Nursing informatics skills and knowledge can assist in data collection to identify adverse events in hospitals.

A healthcare organization partners with a technology manufacturer to identify risks to patients. This approach to safety is known as a:

Multiple false alarms may lead to alarm fatigue and compromise patient safety by slow response or no response to physiologic alarms. Strategies to improve alarm response include:

What are the current patient safety characteristics of your organizational culture? Identify at least three aspects of your culture that need to be changed with regard to patient safety, and suggest strategies for change.

An electronic health record (EHR) undergoes an upgrade, and in order to ensure the end users' ability to use the system, which action should the informatics nurse take?

In addition to organizational commitment of resources to address safety concerns, what is a key feature of a safety culture as identified by the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality?

Smart pumps are designed for safe administration of high-hazard drugs and to reduce adverse drug events during intravenous medication administration. What happens when a hard alarm is generated by a smart pump?

Describe a current technology that you use in patient care that would benefit from human factors engineering concepts. What are some ways this technology should be improved?

Many organizations are looking to informatics technology to help manage complex safety issues by using smart technologies that provide knowledge access to users, provide automated safety checks, and improve communication processes.

A nurse is educating a new nursing student on the culture of safety in the healthcare organization. The nurse emphasizes which of the following as essential to a culture of safety?

Radio frequency identifier (RFID) technology may gradually replace bar-code technology in the medication administration cycle because RFID provides:

A nurse understands that medication errors occur commonly with the use of health information technology and uses which of the following to reduce this risk?

Nurses have an ethical duty to ensure patient safety.

A patient is allergic to penicillin, and a trigger in the electronic health record will alarm after which of the following occurs?