NAHQ CPHQ Practice Exam

If a patient is transferred to a neighboring hospital and a procedure is performed on the wrong part of the body due to a misinterpretation of orders, the healthcare quality professional should

1. Conduct an analysis to reduce future occurrences

2. Do nothing since it happened at another facility

3. Recommend disciplinary action for the offenders

4. Report this as a sentinel event to the transferring hospital

The correct answer is: Conduct an analysis to reduce future occurrences

In this scenario, the correct course of action for the healthcare quality professional would be to conduct an analysis to reduce future occurrences. It is crucial to investigate what led to the misinterpretation of orders and identify any system issues or gaps that contributed to the error. By conducting a thorough analysis, the healthcare quality professional can implement corrective actions and preventive measures to reduce the likelihood of similar incidents happening in the future. Options B and C are incorrect because patient safety and quality of care should always be a priority, regardless of where the error occurred or who was involved. It is essential to address the root cause of the problem and take steps to prevent it from happening again. Option D is also incorrect as reporting the incident as a sentinel event to the transferring hospital may not directly address the underlying causes of the error. While reporting to the transferring hospital may be necessary for documentation and accountability purposes, it is equally important to conduct an internal analysis to improve processes and prevent future occurrences.