Chapter 15: Information Technology in the Clinical Setting Cherry & Jacob:
Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, and Management, 7th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Consumers are concerned with security issues related to their confidential health information
being placed in an electronic health record (EHR). However, when the security of the EHR
is compared with that of paper-and-pencil records, the EHR is: a. more secure.
b. less secure.
, c. equivalent.
d. not comparable with the paper-and-pencil record.
ANS: A
Computer-based patient record systems, such as EHRs, provide better protection than paper-
based systems. The EHR allows only authorized users to view data, and access to records can
be audited for inappropriate use.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 271
2. During a search for the term informatics, when the nurse finds the domain ―.edu,‖ the site is
affiliated with a(n):
a. government agency.
b. commercial site.
c. educational institution
d. Internet service provider.
ANS: C
The domain of an educational institution is .edu.
DIF: Knowledge REF: p. 276
3. When paper-and-pencil medical records are compared with computer-based records:
a. paper-and-pencil records provide controls to determine who has viewed the health
information.
b. information contained in a paper-and-pencil record has the capability of being more in-
depth than that found in computer-based records.
c. patients have the right to know that the confidentiality of their records is strictly
maintained, regardless of the type of medical record used.
d. patients must sign for each item of information released on the computer record.
ANS: C
Regardless of the type of record used, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) protects the confidentiality of the patient‘s medical information and imposes legal
consequences for those who breech confidentiality.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 271
4. A nurse is preparing a scholarly publication on the prevalence of hepatitis A worldwide. The
most efficient and effective means of conducting an Internet search to gather information for
this publication is to use:
a. a search engine such as Google or Yahoo.
b. a consumer health website.
c. a decision support system.
d. MEDLINE database.
ANS: D
MEDLINE is one of the scientific and research scholarly databases, and it would be the most
appropriate for use in gathering information for a scholarly publication.
, DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 276
5. A consumer is learning about electronic health records at a local health fair and states, ―I
am worried that someone can read my health information and I really don‘t understand the
difference between privacy and confidentiality.‖ The nurse explains that an example of
confidentiality would be:
a. a pledge that states, ―I will hold matters pertaining to my patients in strict intimacy.‖
b. a patient who does not tell the physician that he has been treated for a sexually transmitted
disease.
c. a teenager who sustains a broken arm and in the emergency department and withholds
information about her use of recreational drugs.
d. locking medical records in cabinets to prevent unauthorized users from accessing patient
information.
ANS: A
Confidentiality is keeping private the personal information that was given to a health care
provider, unless others have a legitimate need to know.
DIF: Application REF: p. 271
6. A physician has installed a computer-based patient records system. An outside care provider
who requests medical information must obtain the patient‘s signed consent and then is
assigned a password to gain access to the medical information. A monthly audit is conducted
to determine for whom and for what purpose patient records have been accessed. This
protection is referred to as: a. privacy.
b. confidentiality.
c. security.
d. data capture.
ANS: C
Security is the limitation of access to health care information through passwords and other
precautions.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 271
7. A nurse walks up to a computer in the hallway and presses the index finger to the sensor,
thereby gaining access to patient data. A few moments later another nurse performs the same
steps and is granted access. A visitor who is watching from a room walks over and places the
index finger on the sensor, only to receive an ―error and access denied‖ message. Security is
being maintained by:
a. robot technology.
b. biometric technology.
c. telehealth.
d. ubiquitous computing.
ANS: B
Biometric fingerprint identification uses personal characteristics to allow access to health
information.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 277
, 8. A nurse who is teaching a class to introduce telehealth to the staff would include which
example?
a. A robot performs menial housekeeping chores for an invalid patient.
b. A computer software program alerts the nurse or physician who is reviewing orders that
an order for a new drug can cause synergy of the theophylline inhaler.
c. A physician speaks into a computer, and the admission history is recorded and saved in
the patient file.
d. While a patient in Wyoming performs peritoneal dialysis, a nurse watches remotely from
California to ensure that all steps are being followed correctly.
ANS: D
Telehealth is the delivery of care to a patient who is at a distance from the health care
provider.
DIF: Application REF: p. 273
9. An advanced practice nurse inputs into a computer software program the following clinical
manifestations: open wound with tibia exposed, petechial hemorrhage, and temporary loss of
consciousness. The computer diagnosis of fat emboli is generated by a system known as: a.
decision support.
b. telehealth.
c. robotic technology.
d. biometric technology.
ANS: A
Decision support systems are computer-based information systems that include knowledge-
based systems designed to support clinical decision making.
DIF: Comprehension REF: pp. 268-269
10. A nurse is preparing a presentation using different websites to collect information. The nurse
is concerned that contact information and the author‘s credentials are not listed for one of the
websites reviewed. Which criterion required to establish a reputable website is missing? a.
Authority
b. Objectivity
c. Usability
d. Currency
ANS: A
Authority is the criterion that is related to the credentials and background that have prepared
an author to publish on the subject.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 276
11. A nurse is interested in locating reliable information concerning noninvasive blood glucose
monitoring. Information is located, and the author is a scientist who conducted studies within
the last year on the effectiveness of a particular noninvasive blood glucose monitor. The
scientist received funding from a pharmaceutical company to support the studies. The URL
Contemporary Nursing: Issues, Trends, and Management, 7th Edition
MULTIPLE CHOICE
1. Consumers are concerned with security issues related to their confidential health information
being placed in an electronic health record (EHR). However, when the security of the EHR
is compared with that of paper-and-pencil records, the EHR is: a. more secure.
b. less secure.
, c. equivalent.
d. not comparable with the paper-and-pencil record.
ANS: A
Computer-based patient record systems, such as EHRs, provide better protection than paper-
based systems. The EHR allows only authorized users to view data, and access to records can
be audited for inappropriate use.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 271
2. During a search for the term informatics, when the nurse finds the domain ―.edu,‖ the site is
affiliated with a(n):
a. government agency.
b. commercial site.
c. educational institution
d. Internet service provider.
ANS: C
The domain of an educational institution is .edu.
DIF: Knowledge REF: p. 276
3. When paper-and-pencil medical records are compared with computer-based records:
a. paper-and-pencil records provide controls to determine who has viewed the health
information.
b. information contained in a paper-and-pencil record has the capability of being more in-
depth than that found in computer-based records.
c. patients have the right to know that the confidentiality of their records is strictly
maintained, regardless of the type of medical record used.
d. patients must sign for each item of information released on the computer record.
ANS: C
Regardless of the type of record used, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act
(HIPAA) protects the confidentiality of the patient‘s medical information and imposes legal
consequences for those who breech confidentiality.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 271
4. A nurse is preparing a scholarly publication on the prevalence of hepatitis A worldwide. The
most efficient and effective means of conducting an Internet search to gather information for
this publication is to use:
a. a search engine such as Google or Yahoo.
b. a consumer health website.
c. a decision support system.
d. MEDLINE database.
ANS: D
MEDLINE is one of the scientific and research scholarly databases, and it would be the most
appropriate for use in gathering information for a scholarly publication.
, DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 276
5. A consumer is learning about electronic health records at a local health fair and states, ―I
am worried that someone can read my health information and I really don‘t understand the
difference between privacy and confidentiality.‖ The nurse explains that an example of
confidentiality would be:
a. a pledge that states, ―I will hold matters pertaining to my patients in strict intimacy.‖
b. a patient who does not tell the physician that he has been treated for a sexually transmitted
disease.
c. a teenager who sustains a broken arm and in the emergency department and withholds
information about her use of recreational drugs.
d. locking medical records in cabinets to prevent unauthorized users from accessing patient
information.
ANS: A
Confidentiality is keeping private the personal information that was given to a health care
provider, unless others have a legitimate need to know.
DIF: Application REF: p. 271
6. A physician has installed a computer-based patient records system. An outside care provider
who requests medical information must obtain the patient‘s signed consent and then is
assigned a password to gain access to the medical information. A monthly audit is conducted
to determine for whom and for what purpose patient records have been accessed. This
protection is referred to as: a. privacy.
b. confidentiality.
c. security.
d. data capture.
ANS: C
Security is the limitation of access to health care information through passwords and other
precautions.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 271
7. A nurse walks up to a computer in the hallway and presses the index finger to the sensor,
thereby gaining access to patient data. A few moments later another nurse performs the same
steps and is granted access. A visitor who is watching from a room walks over and places the
index finger on the sensor, only to receive an ―error and access denied‖ message. Security is
being maintained by:
a. robot technology.
b. biometric technology.
c. telehealth.
d. ubiquitous computing.
ANS: B
Biometric fingerprint identification uses personal characteristics to allow access to health
information.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 277
, 8. A nurse who is teaching a class to introduce telehealth to the staff would include which
example?
a. A robot performs menial housekeeping chores for an invalid patient.
b. A computer software program alerts the nurse or physician who is reviewing orders that
an order for a new drug can cause synergy of the theophylline inhaler.
c. A physician speaks into a computer, and the admission history is recorded and saved in
the patient file.
d. While a patient in Wyoming performs peritoneal dialysis, a nurse watches remotely from
California to ensure that all steps are being followed correctly.
ANS: D
Telehealth is the delivery of care to a patient who is at a distance from the health care
provider.
DIF: Application REF: p. 273
9. An advanced practice nurse inputs into a computer software program the following clinical
manifestations: open wound with tibia exposed, petechial hemorrhage, and temporary loss of
consciousness. The computer diagnosis of fat emboli is generated by a system known as: a.
decision support.
b. telehealth.
c. robotic technology.
d. biometric technology.
ANS: A
Decision support systems are computer-based information systems that include knowledge-
based systems designed to support clinical decision making.
DIF: Comprehension REF: pp. 268-269
10. A nurse is preparing a presentation using different websites to collect information. The nurse
is concerned that contact information and the author‘s credentials are not listed for one of the
websites reviewed. Which criterion required to establish a reputable website is missing? a.
Authority
b. Objectivity
c. Usability
d. Currency
ANS: A
Authority is the criterion that is related to the credentials and background that have prepared
an author to publish on the subject.
DIF: Comprehension REF: p. 276
11. A nurse is interested in locating reliable information concerning noninvasive blood glucose
monitoring. Information is located, and the author is a scientist who conducted studies within
the last year on the effectiveness of a particular noninvasive blood glucose monitor. The
scientist received funding from a pharmaceutical company to support the studies. The URL
