WGU D514 ANALYTICAL METHODS OF
HEALTHCARE LEADERS PA AND OA 126
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ A hospital researcher has access to one year of hospital
emergency department claims data. The researcher is investigating
the association of race on the timeliness of delivery of care. The
sample includes information on patient demographics, insurance
information, and emergency department factors. Due to patient
confidentiality, the sample does not include patient clinical
information and outcomes.Which research method should be used?
Answer: Cross-sectional
◉ A policy analyst is interested in determining if the prospective
payment system (PPS) has improved hospital efficiency over time
during the past ten years. The sample for analysis consists of ten
years of data after the introduction of the PPS and includes
measures of efficiency and other relevant control variables. The
analyst hypothesizes that hospital efficiency should have increased
each year after the PPS was implemented.Which research method
should the analyst use?
Answer: Time-series
◉ Which type of data analysis could be used in quantitative
research?
,Answer: Reporting the distribution of results or outcomes
◉ What is a characteristic of qualitative research methods?
Answer: Introduces subjectivity to data collection
◉ Many physician practices now utilize an electronic health record
(EHR) system that includes a secure messaging feature. Some of
these practices have extended their contact with patients by
conducting virtual visits between people with diabetes and nurses
who are certified diabetes educators. The remote technology
includes the ability to monitor blood glucose data to determine if
these values are within goal range. After six months, the results of
the blood glucose levels for the group participating in the virtual
visits were evaluated.Which research method was used?
Answer: Cross-sectional
◉ A researcher wants to determine whether continuity of care is
improved with the use of coordination of care documents among
primary care physicians and specialists. The researcher decides to
review various published studies to assess the clinical effectiveness
of these documents on patient outcomes.Which research method is
being used?
Answer: Meta-analysis
, ◉ The state public health researcher wants to begin a five-year
initiative to coordinate immunizations for children in the foster care
system. The results will be compared to previous years to measure
the effectiveness of the initiative.Which research method should be
used to study this initiative?
Answer: Pre/post-study
◉ Using publicly reported data from Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, researchers want to examine the relationship
between 30-day readmissions and mortality rates for patients with
heart failure at five facilities. Before this can be done, researchers
need to estimate mortality rates and readmission rates from heart
failure.Which statistical technique should be used to calculate the
estimated rates?
Answer: Regression analysis
◉ Researchers want to determine if a particular risk factor or risk
factors are associated with the frequency for nonelective
readmission within 30 days among patients with diabetes in a
metropolitan area. The variables of interest include age, gender,
race/ethnicity, and insurance status.Which statistical technique
should be used?
Answer: Regression analysis
◉ A hospital researcher is interested in investigating the association
between hospital ownership (i.e., government, investor, and not-for-
HEALTHCARE LEADERS PA AND OA 126
QUESTIONS AND SOLUTIONS
◉ A hospital researcher has access to one year of hospital
emergency department claims data. The researcher is investigating
the association of race on the timeliness of delivery of care. The
sample includes information on patient demographics, insurance
information, and emergency department factors. Due to patient
confidentiality, the sample does not include patient clinical
information and outcomes.Which research method should be used?
Answer: Cross-sectional
◉ A policy analyst is interested in determining if the prospective
payment system (PPS) has improved hospital efficiency over time
during the past ten years. The sample for analysis consists of ten
years of data after the introduction of the PPS and includes
measures of efficiency and other relevant control variables. The
analyst hypothesizes that hospital efficiency should have increased
each year after the PPS was implemented.Which research method
should the analyst use?
Answer: Time-series
◉ Which type of data analysis could be used in quantitative
research?
,Answer: Reporting the distribution of results or outcomes
◉ What is a characteristic of qualitative research methods?
Answer: Introduces subjectivity to data collection
◉ Many physician practices now utilize an electronic health record
(EHR) system that includes a secure messaging feature. Some of
these practices have extended their contact with patients by
conducting virtual visits between people with diabetes and nurses
who are certified diabetes educators. The remote technology
includes the ability to monitor blood glucose data to determine if
these values are within goal range. After six months, the results of
the blood glucose levels for the group participating in the virtual
visits were evaluated.Which research method was used?
Answer: Cross-sectional
◉ A researcher wants to determine whether continuity of care is
improved with the use of coordination of care documents among
primary care physicians and specialists. The researcher decides to
review various published studies to assess the clinical effectiveness
of these documents on patient outcomes.Which research method is
being used?
Answer: Meta-analysis
, ◉ The state public health researcher wants to begin a five-year
initiative to coordinate immunizations for children in the foster care
system. The results will be compared to previous years to measure
the effectiveness of the initiative.Which research method should be
used to study this initiative?
Answer: Pre/post-study
◉ Using publicly reported data from Centers for Medicare &
Medicaid Services, researchers want to examine the relationship
between 30-day readmissions and mortality rates for patients with
heart failure at five facilities. Before this can be done, researchers
need to estimate mortality rates and readmission rates from heart
failure.Which statistical technique should be used to calculate the
estimated rates?
Answer: Regression analysis
◉ Researchers want to determine if a particular risk factor or risk
factors are associated with the frequency for nonelective
readmission within 30 days among patients with diabetes in a
metropolitan area. The variables of interest include age, gender,
race/ethnicity, and insurance status.Which statistical technique
should be used?
Answer: Regression analysis
◉ A hospital researcher is interested in investigating the association
between hospital ownership (i.e., government, investor, and not-for-
