Patient Safety Quiz: How Careful Are You Really?

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  • Questions: 10
  • Last Updated: 19 Sep, 2025
  • Attempts: 1
  • liked by 100%
Let's Start this Quiz

When you enter the doors of a hospital or clinic, you want to feel secure. But in the United States, it is unsafe for patients to be inside those walls  medical mistakes are among the top reasons for preventable harm. It can be something as mundane as the wrong label on medication, skipping a hand-washing, or confusion of patients' charts. That is why healthcare teams emphasize "safety culture," wherein all of us nurses, physicians, and patients get involved to minimize risks.The good news: Virtually all of these risks can be eliminated by patients speaking up, fact-checking, and informed by knowledge of their own care. Want to learn how safe you are when it comes to healthcare? Take the test.

What should patients do before taking hospital medicines?

  • Assume it’s correct

  • Ask what the medicine is

  • Refuse unfamiliar pills

  • Save for later checking

Handwashing for at least how many seconds is recommended to prevent infection?

  • 5 seconds

  • 10 seconds

  • 20 seconds

  • 40 seconds

What’s a common safety risk in U.S. hospitals during emergencies?

  • Too many doctors

  • Room lighting

  • Excessive handwashing

  • Alarm fatigue

What’s the best way to reduce surgical site infections?

  • Shorter surgery

  • Correct antibiotics

  • Cold operating room

  • Minimal anesthesia

Which is the safest way to confirm a patient’s identity?

  • Room number

  • Patient’s name and birth date

  • Wristband color

  • Doctor’s recognition

What is the most common cause of preventable harm in hospitals?

  • Falls

  • Medication errors

  • Infections

  • Wrong diagnosis

What’s the “time out” process before surgery?

  • A short break

  • Team verifies patient and procedure

  • Cleaning the equipment

  • Cleaning the equipment

Which patients are most at risk of falling in hospitals?

  • Children

  • Teenagers

  • Older adults

  • Middle-aged adults

What type of infection often spreads in hospitals and is linked to catheters?

  • Urinary tract infection

  • Skin infection

  • Lung infection

  • Ear infection

What color wristband is commonly used in U.S. hospitals to signal “allergy”?

  • Red

  • Yellow

  • Blue

  • Green

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