Patient Safety & Quality Improvement USMLE Step 1 Practice Question
A cardiac surgery center's quality improvement team identifies post-operative mortality rates ranging from 5% to 12% across six surgeons performing similar procedures in comparable patient populations. After obtaining 2-year outcome data stratified by surgeon, the team presents individual mortality rates and complication profiles to each surgeon alongside institutional averages and peer comparisons. Subsequently, mortality rates converge toward 7% across all surgeons within 12 months. Which of the following quality improvement strategies best explains the mechanism underlying this outcome variation and improvement?
Answer choices
- ASix Sigma methodology to reduce process variation to 3.4 defects per million opportunities
- BRoot cause analysis identifying latent system failures in operative technique
- CFailure mode and effects analysis to prioritize highest-risk procedural steps
- DLean process mapping to eliminate waste in OR workflow and reduce operative time
- ETransparency and benchmarking with performance feedback driving behavioral changeCorrect answer
- FStatistical process control with control charts to detect special cause variation
See the full explanation
Get the correct-answer rationale, why each distractor is wrong, the underlying mechanism, and high-yield associations — plus adaptive practice that targets your weak areas — with a free MedBoardPRO account.