NAHQ CPHQ Practice Exam 2025 - Free Certified Professional in Healthcare Quality Practice Questions and Study Guide

The correct answer is A. Cause-and-effect diagram.

A cause-and-effect diagram, also known as a fishbone diagram or Ishikawa diagram, is a quality improvement tool that helps in mapping out a process to identify potential areas for improvement. It helps in visually displaying all the possible causes that contribute to a specific problem or effect. By organizing and categorizing potential causes, it facilitates the identification of root causes of issues, making it easier to prioritize improvement efforts.

Flowchart (option B), Histogram (option C), and Run chart (option D) are all important quality improvement tools, but they are not specifically designed for mapping out a process and identifying potential areas for improvement like the cause-and-effect diagram.