Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) Practice Exam

What is a primary objective of conducting a failure modes and effects analysis?

1. To gather information post-incident

2. To assess current performance standards

3. To proactively identify potential failures

4. To implement new technologies safely

The correct answer is: To proactively identify potential failures

A primary objective of conducting a failure modes and effects analysis (FMEA) is to proactively identify potential failures within a healthcare process or system before they occur. FMEA is a systematic method aimed at identifying where and how a process might fail and assessing the relative impact of different failures in order to prioritize improvement actions. This proactive approach allows organizations to anticipate issues, mitigate risks, and enhance patient safety by addressing potential problems before they manifest into actual incidents. While other options like gathering information post-incident or assessing current performance standards may have their own importance in a patient safety context, they do not align with the inherently preventive nature of FMEA. Implementing new technologies safely is also a relevant concern, but it is an outcome of having identified potential risks and not the primary objective of FMEA itself. The focus of FMEA is fundamentally on foreseeing and addressing risks before they can lead to harm.