WGU D220 Information Technology in Nursing Practice
Exam: 50 Questions with 100% Correct Answers (2026/2027
Edition)
SECTION 1: Health Information Systems and Electronic Health Records
Question 1.
A nurse is documenting a patient's assessment findings in the electronic health record
(EHR) using a structured template. Which EHR functionality best supports the retrieval
of comparable data for future quality improvement initiatives?
A. Free-text narrative documentation
B. Drop-down menus and checkboxes with standardized terminologies
C. Voice recognition transcription
D. Scanned paper chart images
Correct Answer: B. Drop-down menus and checkboxes with standardized terminologies
Rationale: Structured data entry using standardized terminologies (such as SNOMED CT,
LOINC, or NANDA-I) ensures that data is coded consistently, enabling aggregation,
analysis, and comparison across patient populations for quality improvement. Free-text
narrative documentation (A) and voice recognition transcription (C) produce
unstructured data that is difficult to analyze systematically. Scanned paper chart
images (D) are not machine-readable and cannot support data retrieval for analytics.
Question 2.
A hospital is implementing a new EHR system. During the go-live phase, several nurses
report that medication orders are not appearing in the correct workflow queues. Which
implementation strategy would most effectively address this workflow disruption?
,A. Immediately revert to paper documentation until all issues are resolved
B. Increase the number of super-users available on each unit for real-time
troubleshooting
C. Disable the CPOE module and continue with verbal order protocols
D. Delay all non-urgent medication administrations until the system is fixed
Correct Answer: B. Increase the number of super-users available on each unit for
real-time troubleshooting
Rationale: Super-users are clinical staff with advanced training in the EHR system who
provide bedside support during implementation, helping colleagues navigate workflow
issues without compromising patient safety. Reverting to paper (A) undermines the
implementation progress and creates data integrity gaps. Disabling CPOE (C) eliminates
the safety benefits of electronic ordering and reintroduces risks associated with verbal
orders. Delaying medications (D) could result in missed doses and patient harm.
Question 3.
Which feature of a Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) system is primarily
designed to reduce medication errors related to illegible handwriting and transcription
mistakes?
A. Clinical decision support alerts
B. Electronic prescribing with structured order sets
C. Barcode medication administration
D. Patient portal messaging
Correct Answer: B. Electronic prescribing with structured order sets
Rationale: CPOE eliminates handwritten orders by allowing providers to enter orders
electronically using structured order sets, thereby removing transcription errors and
illegibility issues. Clinical decision support alerts (A) support appropriate prescribing
but do not address handwriting or transcription. Barcode medication administration (C)
, occurs at the bedside and verifies the "five rights" but does not prevent ordering errors.
Patient portal messaging (D) is unrelated to the ordering process.
Question 4.
A nurse manager is reviewing EHR adoption metrics on her unit. Which measure would
best indicate successful user adoption of the new EHR system?
A. Number of help desk tickets submitted
B. Percentage of clinical documentation completed electronically
C. Total server downtime hours
D. Number of licensed software modules purchased
Correct Answer: B. Percentage of clinical documentation completed electronically
Rationale: The percentage of documentation completed electronically directly measures
how extensively staff are using the EHR in their daily workflow, which is a key indicator
of user adoption. Help desk tickets (A) may indicate either engagement with support or
system problems but do not measure adoption. Server downtime (C) measures
technical reliability, not user behavior. The number of purchased modules (D) reflects
organizational investment, not actual utilization.
Question 5.
A nurse is caring for a patient in the emergency department and needs to quickly review
the patient's medication history from an outside facility. Which EHR functionality would
facilitate this access?
A. Internal medication reconciliation module
B. External health information exchange interface
C. Clinical decision support system
D. Barcode medication administration scanner
Correct Answer: B. External health information exchange interface
Exam: 50 Questions with 100% Correct Answers (2026/2027
Edition)
SECTION 1: Health Information Systems and Electronic Health Records
Question 1.
A nurse is documenting a patient's assessment findings in the electronic health record
(EHR) using a structured template. Which EHR functionality best supports the retrieval
of comparable data for future quality improvement initiatives?
A. Free-text narrative documentation
B. Drop-down menus and checkboxes with standardized terminologies
C. Voice recognition transcription
D. Scanned paper chart images
Correct Answer: B. Drop-down menus and checkboxes with standardized terminologies
Rationale: Structured data entry using standardized terminologies (such as SNOMED CT,
LOINC, or NANDA-I) ensures that data is coded consistently, enabling aggregation,
analysis, and comparison across patient populations for quality improvement. Free-text
narrative documentation (A) and voice recognition transcription (C) produce
unstructured data that is difficult to analyze systematically. Scanned paper chart
images (D) are not machine-readable and cannot support data retrieval for analytics.
Question 2.
A hospital is implementing a new EHR system. During the go-live phase, several nurses
report that medication orders are not appearing in the correct workflow queues. Which
implementation strategy would most effectively address this workflow disruption?
,A. Immediately revert to paper documentation until all issues are resolved
B. Increase the number of super-users available on each unit for real-time
troubleshooting
C. Disable the CPOE module and continue with verbal order protocols
D. Delay all non-urgent medication administrations until the system is fixed
Correct Answer: B. Increase the number of super-users available on each unit for
real-time troubleshooting
Rationale: Super-users are clinical staff with advanced training in the EHR system who
provide bedside support during implementation, helping colleagues navigate workflow
issues without compromising patient safety. Reverting to paper (A) undermines the
implementation progress and creates data integrity gaps. Disabling CPOE (C) eliminates
the safety benefits of electronic ordering and reintroduces risks associated with verbal
orders. Delaying medications (D) could result in missed doses and patient harm.
Question 3.
Which feature of a Computerized Provider Order Entry (CPOE) system is primarily
designed to reduce medication errors related to illegible handwriting and transcription
mistakes?
A. Clinical decision support alerts
B. Electronic prescribing with structured order sets
C. Barcode medication administration
D. Patient portal messaging
Correct Answer: B. Electronic prescribing with structured order sets
Rationale: CPOE eliminates handwritten orders by allowing providers to enter orders
electronically using structured order sets, thereby removing transcription errors and
illegibility issues. Clinical decision support alerts (A) support appropriate prescribing
but do not address handwriting or transcription. Barcode medication administration (C)
, occurs at the bedside and verifies the "five rights" but does not prevent ordering errors.
Patient portal messaging (D) is unrelated to the ordering process.
Question 4.
A nurse manager is reviewing EHR adoption metrics on her unit. Which measure would
best indicate successful user adoption of the new EHR system?
A. Number of help desk tickets submitted
B. Percentage of clinical documentation completed electronically
C. Total server downtime hours
D. Number of licensed software modules purchased
Correct Answer: B. Percentage of clinical documentation completed electronically
Rationale: The percentage of documentation completed electronically directly measures
how extensively staff are using the EHR in their daily workflow, which is a key indicator
of user adoption. Help desk tickets (A) may indicate either engagement with support or
system problems but do not measure adoption. Server downtime (C) measures
technical reliability, not user behavior. The number of purchased modules (D) reflects
organizational investment, not actual utilization.
Question 5.
A nurse is caring for a patient in the emergency department and needs to quickly review
the patient's medication history from an outside facility. Which EHR functionality would
facilitate this access?
A. Internal medication reconciliation module
B. External health information exchange interface
C. Clinical decision support system
D. Barcode medication administration scanner
Correct Answer: B. External health information exchange interface
