IBFCSM CHEP flashcards

32 cards. Read the term and the definition here. The deck at the top of this page is optional.

Sentinel event

An unexpected occurrence involving death, serious physical or psychological injury, or the risk thereof, requiring immediate investigation and response under healthcare accreditation expectations.

Root cause analysis

A retrospective, structured team process used after a sentinel event to identify system-level causal and contributing factors and to design corrective actions that prevent recurrence.

Failure mode and effects analysis

A prospective team method that identifies ways a high-risk process can fail, estimates severity, likelihood, and detectability, and prioritizes controls before harm occurs.

Universal Protocol

A preprocedure safety process with three ordered components: verification of patient, procedure, and site; marking the site; and a time-out immediately before the procedure starts.

WHO Five Moments

Hand hygiene indications: before patient contact, before aseptic procedure, after body fluid exposure risk, after patient contact, and after touching patient surroundings.

High-alert medication

A drug that carries a heightened risk of significant harm when used in error, requiring independent double checks, standardized storage, and clear labeling safeguards.

Pressure injury staging

Stage 1 is intact skin with nonblanchable erythema; Stage 2 is partial-thickness loss with exposed dermis; Stage 3 is full-thickness loss; Stage 4 exposes fascia, muscle, tendon, cartilage, or bone.

SBAR hand-off

A structured communication technique using Situation, Background, Assessment, and Recommendation to transfer patient information accurately between caregivers and reduce communication-related adverse events.

Medication error

Any preventable event that may cause or lead to inappropriate medication use or patient harm while the medication is in the control of the health professional, patient, or consumer.

All-hazards approach

Emergency planning that prepares an organization for the full range of possible emergencies rather than single specific scenarios, using common capabilities that apply across threats.

Hazard vulnerability analysis

A structured tool that scores the probability and impact of potential hazards so an organization can rank risks and direct preparedness resources to the highest-scoring events.

Hospital Incident Command System

A scalable healthcare incident management structure organized around five functions: Command, Operations, Planning, Logistics, and Finance/Administration.

Surge capacity

The ability to expand beyond normal capacity to meet increased demand, commonly described by four components: staff, stuff, space, and systems.

Continuity of operations plan

A plan that identifies and protects critical functions such as utilities, information technology, pharmacy, laboratory, and food service so essential services continue during and after disruption.

Evacuation types

Horizontal evacuation moves occupants to another area on the same floor; vertical evacuation moves them to another floor; full-building evacuation moves all occupants outside the facility.

CMS Emergency Preparedness Rule

A Medicare condition requiring participating providers to have an emergency plan, policies and procedures, a communication plan, and training and testing activities.

Hierarchy of controls

The ranked order of hazard controls from most to least effective: elimination, substitution, engineering controls, administrative controls, and personal protective equipment.

Residual risk

The level of risk that remains after controls have been applied; it must be documented and judged acceptable against the organization's risk criteria.

ALARP principle

A risk management principle requiring risks to be reduced to as low as reasonably practicable, weighing the cost and effort of further controls against the benefit gained.

Job hazard analysis

A method that breaks a task into sequential steps, identifies hazards at each step, and specifies controls that must be in place before the task is performed.

Exposure limits comparison

OSHA permissible exposure limits are legal requirements; NIOSH recommended exposure limits and ACGIH threshold limit values are guidance; planning uses the most protective applicable value.

Safety data sheet

A 16-section document under OSHA Hazard Communication 2012 providing hazard identification, composition, first-aid, firefighting, and exposure control information for a chemical.

Five Whys

An iterative questioning technique that repeatedly asks why a problem occurred to move from the visible symptom toward underlying system causes.

Medical device recall classes

Class I covers reasonable probability of serious adverse health consequences or death; Class II covers temporary or medically reversible harm; Class III is unlikely to cause harm.

510(k) premarket notification

An FDA submission demonstrating that a moderate-risk device is substantially equivalent to a legally marketed predicate device, allowing marketing without premarket approval.

Unique Device Identification

A unique identifier placed on device labels and packaging that supports traceability, recall management, and adverse event reporting across the device lifecycle.

MedWatch reporting

The FDA adverse event reporting system through which manufacturers report deaths and serious injuries and user facilities report device-related deaths to FDA and serious injuries to the manufacturer.

Sterilization biological indicator

A preparation of viable microorganisms used to verify sterilization efficacy, such as Geobacillus stearothermophilus for steam; a failed indicator requires load recall and reprocessing.

Post-market surveillance

Ongoing monitoring of a marketed product through complaint handling, mandatory reporting, and trend analysis to detect and respond to emerging safety signals.

Incident Command System

A standardized, modular emergency management structure with common terminology and a manageable span of control, typically three to seven subordinates per supervisor.

START triage

A mass casualty sorting method that assesses respirations, perfusion, and mental status to assign Immediate, Delayed, Minor, or Expectant categories for treatment priority.

After-action report

A document produced after an exercise or real incident that records strengths, areas for improvement, and corrective actions, forming the improvement plan for the next cycle.