BLS — Basic Life Support — All Questions
19 questions
Which best describes 'closed-loop communication' during a resuscitation?
- a.The receiver repeats the order back✓
- b.Only the physician may speak
- c.Orders cannot be questioned
- d.Team members write, not speak
AHRQ TeamSTEPPS defines closed-loop communication as using verbal feedback, such as check-backs, to confirm a message was understood; the receiver then reports when the task is done.
During a prolonged resuscitation, how often should the compressor be rotated to maintain high-quality compressions?
- a.About every 2 minutes✓
- b.Every 10 minutes
- c.Only when exhausted
- d.Never, to avoid pauses
Compression depth begins to fall after 90 to 120 seconds, so the 2025 Guidelines consider rotating about every 2 minutes, at the planned rhythm check, sensible.
A team member notices the compressor's rate has slowed below 100 per minute. What is the appropriate action?
- a.Speak up now and suggest a correction✓
- b.Mention it privately after the code
- c.Say nothing to avoid disrespect
- d.Take over without saying anything
Situation monitoring and mutual support mean spotting problems and supporting teammates in the moment; the target rate is 100 to 120 per minute.
A team leader says, "Jordan, attach the AED pads." Jordan answers, "Attaching the pads now." What communication tool is Jordan using?
- a.A check-back✓
- b.A debrief
- c.A handoff
- d.SBAR
A check-back is a closed-loop strategy that confirms the receiver understood the sender; repeating the order back does exactly that.
Which description matches closed-loop communication in AHRQ's TeamSTEPPS program?
- a.Silent hand signals to reduce noise
- b.Only the leader speaks during the code
- c.Verbal confirmation that a message landed✓
- d.Written notes passed between team members
AHRQ defines closed-loop communication as using verbal feedback — call-outs, check-backs and teach-backs — to ensure messages are correctly understood.
During a resuscitation, which behavior best describes a call-out?
- a.Announcing key facts to the whole team✓
- b.Leaving the room to make a phone call
- c.Writing an incident report afterward
- d.Whispering a concern to one teammate
A call-out communicates important or critical information, informs all team members at once and helps them anticipate next steps.
The 2025 Guidelines describe a "pit crew" model for resuscitation teams. What does it mean?
- a.Members fill set roles in parallel✓
- b.Teams rotate leaders every 2 minutes
- c.Only paramedics perform CPR
- d.One rescuer does every task in turn
The Systems of Care chapter describes a pit-crew model in which team members fill defined roles in parallel to achieve an efficient resuscitation.
What did the 2025 Guidelines add about in-hospital code team composition?
- a.One ACLS-trained member, clear roles✓
- b.Only physicians may join the team
- c.Teams must have at least ten members
- d.Teams should have no assigned leader
New recommendations support including at least one member with advanced cardiac life support training and delineating roles with enough people to fill them.
A team member sees a colleague about to give a drug to the wrong patient during a code. What is the correct response?
- a.Say nothing to avoid conflict
- b.Speak up immediately and clearly✓
- c.Wait for the debrief to raise it
- d.Leave the room to find a supervisor
Situation monitoring and mutual support mean actively scanning for problems and supporting teammates in the moment; an error needs correction before it happens.
What is a "cold" debrief after a resuscitation?
- a.One held without any data review
- b.One held a day to weeks later✓
- c.One held only if the patient died
- d.One held during the resuscitation
The Guidelines describe hot debriefs immediately after an event and cold debriefs at a later time, at least a day to weeks later.
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Which topics belong in a clinical debrief after a code?
- a.CPR data, teamwork and feelings✓
- b.Who was to blame
- c.Only the equipment inventory
- d.Only the patient's billing codes
Debriefing may review CPR data, reflect on teamwork, communication and role performance, and address emotional responses to the event.
What did a meta-analysis cited in 2025 find about combining feedback and postevent debriefing?
- a.CPR quality worsened
- b.Both improved✓
- c.No measurable effect
- d.Only morale improved
Feedback and postevent debriefing combined improved CPR quality (depth, rate and fraction) and outcomes such as ROSC and survival in out-of-hospital arrest.
What are the four core skills in AHRQ's TeamSTEPPS framework?
- a.Speed, strength, stamina, silence
- b.Charting, billing, staffing, scheduling
- c.Communication, leadership, situation monitoring, mutual support✓
- d.Compression, ventilation, shock, transport
TeamSTEPPS groups teamwork into communication, team leadership, situation monitoring and mutual support.
A ward nurse must hand a deteriorating patient over to the arriving rapid response team. Which structured tool fits?
- a.A teach-back to the family
- b.SBAR✓
- c.A cold debrief
- d.CPR feedback
SBAR — situation, background, assessment, recommendation — is a technique for communicating critical information that needs immediate attention and action.
What do hospitals with high in-hospital arrest survival tend to have, according to the 2025 Systems of Care chapter?
- a.No formal resuscitation team
- b.Designated or dedicated teams✓
- c.Teams that meet only after the event
- d.Teams led only by surgeons
Resuscitation teams at hospitals with high survival tend to include staff with limited (designated) or no other (dedicated) clinical duties, supporting consistent expertise and teamwork.
A team member notices the compressor tiring. What reflects mutual support?
- a.Offer to switch at the next pause✓
- b.Report it at the end of the shift
- c.Ignore it until the compressor stops
- d.Criticize the compressor loudly
Mutual support means anticipating teammates' needs; compressors are rotated about every 2 minutes at a planned pause because depth falls after 90 to 120 seconds.
For most out-of-hospital arrests, what do the 2025 Guidelines favor?
- a.Immediate transport with CPR in progress
- b.Transport before any CPR
- c.Waiting for a physician before CPR
- d.On-scene resuscitation✓
New recommendations support ongoing resuscitation at the scene in most cases, since transport during CPR can compromise quality and was linked with lower survival in secondary analyses.
Why do the 2025 Guidelines recommend death-notification training for EMS?
- a.EMS crews must certify death officially
- b.It shortens CPR time
- c.It replaces debriefing
- d.Many field efforts end on scene✓
Because on-scene resuscitation will end in field termination in many cases, the Guidelines recommend training EMS in death notification to family and friends.
A new 2025 recommendation about health care professional well-being says what?
- a.Only physicians experience burnout
- b.Burnout interventions may help✓
- c.Debriefing causes burnout
- d.Burnout does not affect patient care
The Post–Cardiac Arrest chapter added that interventions to address health care professional burnout may be beneficial, recognizing the stress of resuscitation.