NAHQ CPHQ Practice Exam

A Quality Council has chartered a Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) team to examine the best method of preventing medication errors after the installation of a new medication dispensing system. The team's first major task should be to

1. brainstorm on potential failure modes of the equipment.

2. develop a flow chart of how the equipment will be installed.

3. identify ways to detect the likelihood of the equipment breaking down.

4. multi-vote on the severity of the potential equipment breakdowns.

The correct answer is: brainstorm on potential failure modes of the equipment.

In this scenario, the best method for the FMEA team to start with would be to brainstorm potential failure modes of the new medication dispensing system. This is because the main goal of FMEA is to proactively identify and prioritize potential failure modes, their causes, and the effects of these failures. By beginning with brainstorming on potential failure modes of the equipment, the team can comprehensively assess all possible risks and vulnerabilities associated with the new system and prioritize them based on their likelihood and severity. This initial step sets the foundation for the rest of the FMEA process, including developing preventive actions and controls to mitigate or eliminate these failure modes. Options B, C, and D are not the most appropriate first major task for the FMEA team because developing a flow chart of how the equipment will be installed, identifying ways to detect the likelihood of the equipment breaking down, and multi-voting on the severity of potential equipment breakdowns are all steps that come later in the FMEA process after potential failure modes have been identified.