Certified Professional in Patient Safety (CPPS) Practice Exam

Which method is a scientific approach to process improvement in real work settings?

1. Root cause analysis (RCA)

2. Event analysis

3. Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle

4. Failure mode and effects analysis (FMEA)

The correct answer is: Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle

The Plan-Do-Study-Act (PDSA) cycle is recognized as a scientific approach to process improvement in real work settings because it provides a structured framework for testing changes in processes and assessing their impact in a practical environment. The PDSA cycle consists of four repeated steps: 1. **Plan**: Identify a goal or aim and develop a plan for testing a change that will lead to improvement. 2. **Do**: Implement the plan on a small scale to test the change. 3. **Study**: Analyze the data gathered during the test to evaluate the impact of the change and compare the results to the expected outcomes. 4. **Act**: Based on what was learned from the study phase, decide whether to adopt, adapt, or abandon the change. This iterative process enables ongoing refinement and helps organizations progressively improve their practices based on evidence and feedback from real-world applications. It fosters a culture of continuous improvement, allowing teams to adapt and innovate effectively. Though the other methods like root cause analysis, event analysis, and failure mode and effects analysis have their specific roles in safety and quality improvement, they do not inherently provide the same cycle of experimentation and continuous learning offered by the PDSA framework. Root cause analysis