Certified Patient Safety Officer

(CPSO)

The CPSO founded in 2006 was the first professional certification dedicated entirely to patient safety. CPSO holders come from a variety of healthcare backgrounds including patient safety, nursing, risk management, quality improvement, and other clinical services. CPSO credential holders make a difference in promoting, coordinating, and leading their organizations in proactive patient safety efforts. The CPSO exam addresses real world topics across the spectrum of patient safety issues including culture, communication, clinical issues, patient safety history, patient care challenges, organizational risks, process improvement, reliability concepts, leadership, environmental safety, emergency management, environment of care issues, occupational safety impacting patient care, pandemics, and personal protective equipment.  Earning the CPSO demonstrates a professional commitment to making a difference in patient lives and upgrading healthcare organizational systems and processes that prevents harm.  Earning the CPSO sends the message that patients do matter and are always more than just a number or a healthcare statistic.

certification handbook
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(please note: applications expire within 90 days)

CPSO Exam Blueprint

Note: CPSO exams contain 125 to 160 multiple choice items depending on the Form taken. Items are weighted at 1 point or 1.5 points. The Board determines passing or cut scores using total points earned and then reports pass or fail results using a Standard Scaled Score.

Domains 100-150 items
1. Patient Safety Fundamentals36%
2.Patient Safety Hazards & Risks28%
3. Patient Safety Compliance36%

Domain 1 —Patient Safety Fundamentals (36%)

This domain requires candidates to demonstrate competency by using recall/recognition, comprehension, and application of knowledge to answer items related to patient safety. Exam items focus on the identification, analysis, and control of hazards to prevent accidents, reduce risks, and maintain a safe environment for staff, patients, and visitors. Items appear distributed throughout the examination. Knowledge and job practice skills include the areas described. Evaluate facilities, products, systems, equipment, workstations, and processes by applying qualitative techniques to identify the hazards and assess their risks. Recommend controls through design and engineering to eliminate hazards and reduce the risks posed by processes and human errors. Evaluate controls by analyzing feasibility, effectiveness, reliability, and costs to achieve the best solution. Implement strategies by using the results of hazard identification and risk analyses to eliminate and/or reduce harmful exposure to patients and the care environment. Communicate hazards and controls to patients, families, care staff, senior management, care providers, and the public.

Domain 1 Topics

  • Given a scenario identify key adverse event issues
  • Identify issues related to change analysis
  • Identify issues impacting clinical communication
  • Identify the importance of collecting patient information
  • Identify common never events.
  • Identify concepts related to deferring to medical expertise
  • Given a scenario identify key issues of an adverse event.
  • Identify key discipline approaches in non-punitive cultures.
  • Identify duty of care requirements.
  • Identify evidenced based medicine.
  • Given a scenario identify correct management functions
  • Identify healthcare organizational priorities
  • Identify key milestones in the history of patient safety
  • Given a scenario identify human error and steps to improve reliability
  • Identify ways to lead others using management principles
  • Identify medical staff issues that impact patient safety
  • Identify medication safety risks and issues.
  • Identify organizational climate and structures
  • Identify common patient care risks.
  • Given a scenario identify key patient data and information
  • Identify ways to encourage patient participation in care
  • Identify key patient safety officer duties.
  • Identify correct definitions of patient safety terms
  • Identity prominent issues related to accountability and behaviors
  • Given a scenario identify how risk management impacts patient safety
  • Given a scenario identify challenges and culture change
  • Identify ways senior leaders can promote patient safety
  • Identify how teamwork understanding improves safety
  • Identify why transparency and trust promotes proactive safety efforts
  • Identify reasons for understanding human errors

Domain 2 –Patient Safety Hazards & Risks (28%)

This domain requires exam candidates to demonstrate competency by using recall, recognition, comprehension, and application of knowledge to correctly answer items related patient safety methods and tools that can promote patient safety as an operational priority in healthcare organizations. IBFCSM ensures distribution of exam item types throughout the examination. Design, implement, and maintain comprehensive management systems by defining requirements, developing policies, and procedures to protect patients, staff, visitors, property, and environment. Implement policies, procedures, and directives in a systematic manner to protect patients, staff, visitors, property, and the environment. Determine the effectiveness of safety related function and relevant systems by measuring and evaluating performance indicators to ensure continuous improvement to protect patients, staff, visitors, and contractors. Apply sound management and leadership practices to efficiently use resources to improve safety. Use appropriate methods to ensure stakeholders understand their roles in formulation and implementation of safety. Present technical information to patients, care staff, medical providers, management, contractors, vendors, and the public about compliance requirements. Accept responsibility to promote safety by providing technical counsel and advice on issues related to accreditation/compliance to protect patients, property, and environment.

Domain 2 Topics

  • Identify methods for analyzing patient safety incidents
  • Identify steps to take to facilitate culture change
  • Identify the importance of building trusting cultures
  • Identify reliability science
  • Given a scenario identify the importance of delegation of authority.
  • Given a scenario identify ways to evaluate human factors impact on safety
  • Identify high reliability methods applicable to healthcare organizations
  •  Identify reasons to use good improvement processes
  • Given a scenario identify key findings of an investigation
  • Identify situations that illustrate a need for change
  • Identify issues related to outcome improvement
  • Identify effective patient safety initiatives
  • Identify the need for proactive performance improvement
  • Given a scenario prioritize corrective actions.
  • Given a scenario identify the need for proactive safety efforts
  • Identify the key elements in an effective problem-solving process
  • Identify an effective error reporting process
  • Identify a conflict that occurs between risk and quality management
  • Given a scenario identify the reason for conducting a safety assessment
  • Identify how safety cultures can impact reporting processes
  • Given a scenario identify an occurrence that meet sentinel event threshold
  • Identify why statistics do not always reveal patient safety hazards
  • Identify the best definition of strategic initiatives
  • Identify why system method can improve patient outcomes
  • Identify why teamwork improves patient safety
  • Identify the reasons that leaders must better understand failure

Domain 3— Patient Safety Compliance (36%)

This domain requires exam candidates to demonstrate competency by using recall and recognition, comprehension, and application of knowledge to correctly answer items related to ethical professional practice in evaluating patient risks including the application of, and adherence to compliance, accreditation, and voluntary/consensus standards. Items appear distributed throughout the exam. Evaluate compliance through performance assessments and various forms of feedback to assure that training is effective. Develop effective education and training by establishing objectives to impart knowledge and facilitate understanding of compliance, accreditation, and voluntary standards. Maintain recordkeeping and data capture systems to acquire, analyze, and distribute accurate data that meets compliance requirements. Hold paramount the protection of patients, property, and environment by working with management, voluntary, and government agencies. Adhere to professional conduct by limiting practice to areas of competence and avoiding conflicts. Improve competency through continuing education and maintain proficiency by using appropriate methods, processes, and technologies. Refer to appropriate standards to guide patient safety, compliance, and accreditation actions.

Domain 3 Topics

  • Identify accreditations requirements that address patient safety
  • Given a scenario identify common adverse events
  • Identify why some professionals connect patient safety EOC issues
  • Identify reason that communicating safety issues can become difficult
  • Identify the role that diagnostic errors play in patient outcomes
  • Given a scenario identify why emergency management is patient safety issue
  • Identify why facility safety impacts patient care
  • Identify the importance of developing a hazardous drug safety plan
  • Identify reasons that infection control and prevention is critical for patients
  • Identify effective infection prevention methods
  • Identify common or key adverse patient events
  • Given a scenario identify why it is important to maintaining care levels
  • Identify a situation when medical equipment safety impacts patient safety
  • Identify safe medication management processes
  • Identify common patient safety clinical hazards
  • Identify patient evacuation process
  • Identify hospital responsibilities for patient fall prevention
  • Identify the purpose for patient safety organizations
  • Identify patient safety responsibilities for support personnel
  • Identify pharmacy hazards that can escalate in a patient adverse event

CPSO Voluntary Study Resources

  • High Reliability Organizations, A Healthcare Handbook for Patient Safety & Quality, 2nd Edition; C. Oster & J. Braaten, Sigma, 2021: Chapters 1-5, 9, 10, 13, 24, & 32.
  • CPSO self-study. Buy it HERE.
  • Understanding Patient Safety, R Wachter & K Gupta, McGraw Hill, 3d Ed, 2018: Chapters 2-6, 8, 10, 13-14, 17, 21-22.
  • The Washington Manual of Patient Safety & Quality Improvement, Washington University School of Medicine, St. Louis, MO, E. Fondahn, M. Lane, & A. Vannucci; Wolters Kluwer, 2016: Chapters 4, 8, 9, 11-16, 18, 23, & 29,
  • Current Joint Commission Accreditation Standards: Environment of Care, Fire Safety, Emergency Management, Leadership, Patient Safety, and Infection Control
  • Healthcare Hazard Control & Safety Management, J Tweedy, CRC Press, 3rd Ed: Chapters 3, 10-14; Available at: ibfcsm.com
  • Healthcare Safety for Nursing Personnel, J Tweedy, CRC Press, Available at: ibfcsm.com
  • The Essential Guide for Patient Safety Officers, JCR Publishing, 2009
  • Principles of Risk Management & Patient Safety, Youngberg, Jones & Bartlett, 2011
  • OSHA Safety/Health Management Systems: Road Map for Hospitals www.osha.gov
  • OSHA Tool Kit for Hospital Staff Safe Patient Handling at: osha.gov
START APPLICATION HERE

(please note: applications expire within 90 days)