NURSING INFORMATICS PRACTICE EXAM –
2026 CASE STUDIES & MCQs
Comprehensive Nursing Informatics and
Technology Examination
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO NURSING INFORMATICS
1. The nurse understands that nursing informatics is defined as:
A) The use of computers in healthcare settings
B) The science and practice of integrating nursing, information, and communication
technologies
C) The use of electronic health records only
D) The management of healthcare finances
Answer: B) The science and practice of integrating nursing, information, and communication
technologies
Rationale: Nursing informatics is the specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and
information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing
practice. It is broader than just using computers (A) or EHRs (C). It supports clinical practice, education,
research, and administration.
2. The primary goal of nursing informatics is to:
A) Reduce the need for nursing staff
B) Improve patient outcomes and quality of care
C) Increase healthcare costs
D) Replace clinical judgment with technology
Answer: B) Improve patient outcomes and quality of care
Rationale: The primary goal of nursing informatics is to improve patient outcomes, quality of care, and
safety through the effective use of information technology. It supports clinical decision-making,
communication, and efficiency. It does not replace clinical judgment (D) or reduce nursing staff (A).
,3. A nurse is using a clinical decision support system (CDSS). The CDSS functions to:
A) Replace the nurse's clinical judgment
B) Provide evidence-based recommendations to support clinical decisions
C) Administer medications automatically
D) Document patient care
Answer: B) Provide evidence-based recommendations to support clinical decisions
Rationale: Clinical decision support systems provide evidence-based recommendations and alerts to
support clinical decision-making. They do not replace clinical judgment (A) but enhance it. They are not
used for medication administration (C) or documentation (D) directly.
4. The nurse understands that the TIGER initiative focuses on:
A) Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform
B) The integration of nursing and technology
C) The development of informatics competencies
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Rationale: TIGER (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform) is an initiative that aims to
integrate nursing and technology, develop informatics competencies, and reform nursing education to
include informatics. It promotes the use of informatics to improve patient care and safety.
5. A nurse is using an electronic health record (EHR). The purpose of the EHR is to:
A) Store patient data in a paper format
B) Provide a comprehensive, longitudinal record of patient health information
C) Replace all clinical documentation
D) Bill patients for services
Answer: B) Provide a comprehensive, longitudinal record of patient health information
Rationale: The EHR provides a comprehensive, longitudinal record of patient health information,
including medical history, medications, lab results, and clinical notes. It improves coordination of care
and access to information. It is not a paper format (A) and is not solely for billing (D).
6. A nurse is documenting in an EHR. Which principle is essential for EHR documentation?
A) Documentation should be brief and vague
, B) Documentation should be accurate, complete, and timely
C) Documentation should be done at the end of the shift
D) Documentation is optional
Answer: B) Documentation should be accurate, complete, and timely
Rationale: EHR documentation should be accurate, complete, and timely to ensure patient safety and
legal protection. It should be done as care is provided, not at the end of the shift (C). Vague
documentation (A) is not appropriate. Documentation is mandatory, not optional (D).
7. The nurse understands that meaningful use of EHRs includes:
A) Using EHRs to improve quality, safety, and efficiency
B) Using EHRs to increase revenue
C) Using EHRs to reduce staff
D) Using EHRs only for billing
Answer: A) Using EHRs to improve quality, safety, and efficiency
Rationale: Meaningful use of EHRs focuses on using technology to improve quality, safety, and efficiency
of care, engage patients, and improve population health. It is not primarily for revenue (B) or billing (D).
Meaningful use is a key component of healthcare reform.
8. A nurse is participating in the implementation of a new EHR system. Which role is the nurse most
likely to play?
A) End user and contributor to system design
B) Software developer
C) Hardware engineer
D) Financial analyst
Answer: A) End user and contributor to system design
Rationale: Nurses are end users of EHR systems and should be involved in system design, testing, and
implementation to ensure the system meets clinical needs. Nurses are not typically software developers
(B) or hardware engineers (C). Financial analysis (D) is not the primary role.
9. A nurse is using telehealth technology to provide patient care. Telehealth allows the nurse to:
A) Provide care remotely using technology
B) Replace in-person care completely
, C) Only provide education
D) Only monitor vital signs
Answer: A) Provide care remotely using technology
Rationale: Telehealth uses technology to provide healthcare services remotely, including consultations,
monitoring, education, and follow-up. It complements in-person care but does not replace it completely
(B). It is used for more than just education (C) or monitoring (D).
10. A nurse is using a mobile health (mHealth) application. The purpose of mHealth is to:
A) Replace healthcare providers
B) Support health and wellness through mobile technology
C) Only track fitness
D) Only communicate with providers
Answer: B) Support health and wellness through mobile technology
Rationale: mHealth uses mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) to support health and wellness, including
tracking, education, communication, and reminders. It does not replace healthcare providers (A). It is
used for various purposes, not just fitness (C) or communication (D).
SECTION 2: ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS AND DOCUMENTATION
11. A nurse is documenting a patient's vital signs in the EHR. The nurse should document:
A) Only abnormal findings
B) All assessments and findings
C) Only significant findings
D) Only what the patient reports
Answer: B) All assessments and findings
Rationale: The nurse should document all assessments and findings in the EHR to provide a complete and
accurate record. Incomplete documentation may compromise patient safety and legal protection. The
nurse should document normal and abnormal findings. The record should reflect the care provided.
12. A nurse is reviewing a patient's EHR and notes that the medication list is not up to date. The nurse
should:
A) Ignore the discrepancy
B) Update the medication list with the correct information
2026 CASE STUDIES & MCQs
Comprehensive Nursing Informatics and
Technology Examination
SECTION 1: INTRODUCTION TO NURSING INFORMATICS
1. The nurse understands that nursing informatics is defined as:
A) The use of computers in healthcare settings
B) The science and practice of integrating nursing, information, and communication
technologies
C) The use of electronic health records only
D) The management of healthcare finances
Answer: B) The science and practice of integrating nursing, information, and communication
technologies
Rationale: Nursing informatics is the specialty that integrates nursing science, computer science, and
information science to manage and communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing
practice. It is broader than just using computers (A) or EHRs (C). It supports clinical practice, education,
research, and administration.
2. The primary goal of nursing informatics is to:
A) Reduce the need for nursing staff
B) Improve patient outcomes and quality of care
C) Increase healthcare costs
D) Replace clinical judgment with technology
Answer: B) Improve patient outcomes and quality of care
Rationale: The primary goal of nursing informatics is to improve patient outcomes, quality of care, and
safety through the effective use of information technology. It supports clinical decision-making,
communication, and efficiency. It does not replace clinical judgment (D) or reduce nursing staff (A).
,3. A nurse is using a clinical decision support system (CDSS). The CDSS functions to:
A) Replace the nurse's clinical judgment
B) Provide evidence-based recommendations to support clinical decisions
C) Administer medications automatically
D) Document patient care
Answer: B) Provide evidence-based recommendations to support clinical decisions
Rationale: Clinical decision support systems provide evidence-based recommendations and alerts to
support clinical decision-making. They do not replace clinical judgment (A) but enhance it. They are not
used for medication administration (C) or documentation (D) directly.
4. The nurse understands that the TIGER initiative focuses on:
A) Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform
B) The integration of nursing and technology
C) The development of informatics competencies
D) All of the above
Answer: D) All of the above
Rationale: TIGER (Technology Informatics Guiding Education Reform) is an initiative that aims to
integrate nursing and technology, develop informatics competencies, and reform nursing education to
include informatics. It promotes the use of informatics to improve patient care and safety.
5. A nurse is using an electronic health record (EHR). The purpose of the EHR is to:
A) Store patient data in a paper format
B) Provide a comprehensive, longitudinal record of patient health information
C) Replace all clinical documentation
D) Bill patients for services
Answer: B) Provide a comprehensive, longitudinal record of patient health information
Rationale: The EHR provides a comprehensive, longitudinal record of patient health information,
including medical history, medications, lab results, and clinical notes. It improves coordination of care
and access to information. It is not a paper format (A) and is not solely for billing (D).
6. A nurse is documenting in an EHR. Which principle is essential for EHR documentation?
A) Documentation should be brief and vague
, B) Documentation should be accurate, complete, and timely
C) Documentation should be done at the end of the shift
D) Documentation is optional
Answer: B) Documentation should be accurate, complete, and timely
Rationale: EHR documentation should be accurate, complete, and timely to ensure patient safety and
legal protection. It should be done as care is provided, not at the end of the shift (C). Vague
documentation (A) is not appropriate. Documentation is mandatory, not optional (D).
7. The nurse understands that meaningful use of EHRs includes:
A) Using EHRs to improve quality, safety, and efficiency
B) Using EHRs to increase revenue
C) Using EHRs to reduce staff
D) Using EHRs only for billing
Answer: A) Using EHRs to improve quality, safety, and efficiency
Rationale: Meaningful use of EHRs focuses on using technology to improve quality, safety, and efficiency
of care, engage patients, and improve population health. It is not primarily for revenue (B) or billing (D).
Meaningful use is a key component of healthcare reform.
8. A nurse is participating in the implementation of a new EHR system. Which role is the nurse most
likely to play?
A) End user and contributor to system design
B) Software developer
C) Hardware engineer
D) Financial analyst
Answer: A) End user and contributor to system design
Rationale: Nurses are end users of EHR systems and should be involved in system design, testing, and
implementation to ensure the system meets clinical needs. Nurses are not typically software developers
(B) or hardware engineers (C). Financial analysis (D) is not the primary role.
9. A nurse is using telehealth technology to provide patient care. Telehealth allows the nurse to:
A) Provide care remotely using technology
B) Replace in-person care completely
, C) Only provide education
D) Only monitor vital signs
Answer: A) Provide care remotely using technology
Rationale: Telehealth uses technology to provide healthcare services remotely, including consultations,
monitoring, education, and follow-up. It complements in-person care but does not replace it completely
(B). It is used for more than just education (C) or monitoring (D).
10. A nurse is using a mobile health (mHealth) application. The purpose of mHealth is to:
A) Replace healthcare providers
B) Support health and wellness through mobile technology
C) Only track fitness
D) Only communicate with providers
Answer: B) Support health and wellness through mobile technology
Rationale: mHealth uses mobile devices (smartphones, tablets) to support health and wellness, including
tracking, education, communication, and reminders. It does not replace healthcare providers (A). It is
used for various purposes, not just fitness (C) or communication (D).
SECTION 2: ELECTRONIC HEALTH RECORDS AND DOCUMENTATION
11. A nurse is documenting a patient's vital signs in the EHR. The nurse should document:
A) Only abnormal findings
B) All assessments and findings
C) Only significant findings
D) Only what the patient reports
Answer: B) All assessments and findings
Rationale: The nurse should document all assessments and findings in the EHR to provide a complete and
accurate record. Incomplete documentation may compromise patient safety and legal protection. The
nurse should document normal and abnormal findings. The record should reflect the care provided.
12. A nurse is reviewing a patient's EHR and notes that the medication list is not up to date. The nurse
should:
A) Ignore the discrepancy
B) Update the medication list with the correct information
