The Quality Improvement director is reviewing the number of medication

QUESTION

The Quality Improvement director is reviewing the number of medication errors that occurred in a skilled nursing facility over the last month. The total number of medication doses provided equals 625,500.

The total number of medication errors was 7. If using the Six Sigma statistical measure to limit defects to 3.4 per million opportunities, what should be the goal for the number of medication errors for this care area? (Round the answer to the nearest whole number.)

ANSWER:

Correct Answer: 2

Determine the percentage of Six Sigma errors by dividing 3.4/1,000,000 = 0.0000034. Then multiply the total number of medication doses by this number or 625,500 × 0.0000034 = 2.1267. The organization should have a goal of two medication errors per month.