What are the four steps of the PDSA cycle and how is it used to improve medication safety?

• A. Plan, Do, Study, Act.
• B. Define, Design, Develop, Deploy.
• C. Assess, Analyze, Act, Accept.
• D. Prepare, Perform, Post, Publish.

Answer: (D)

The four steps are Plan, Do, Study, Act, and this sequence is a small-test-and-learn approach used to improve processes safely and steadily. In medication safety, you begin with planning a concrete, bounded change aimed at reducing a specific risk, and you define a clear, measurable goal. For example, plan a test to reduce administration errors with high-alert meds by adding a required double-check and a visible alert in one unit.

Next is doing the change on a limited scale for a defined period, while documenting what happens and any issues that arise. Then you study the results by collecting and analyzing data—error rates, near misses, time to administer, and staff feedback—to determine whether the change made a real improvement and why it did or didn’t work. Finally, act based on what you learned: refine the change and either adopt it more broadly, adapt it for other settings, or abandon it and try a different approach. This cycle then repeats, driving ongoing enhancements in medication safety.

The other option uses terms that don’t align with this improvement framework, which is why it doesn’t fit the PDSA model.