WGU D220
NURSING INFORMATICS
Original Comprehensive Study Guide & Practice Question Bank
Information Technology in Nursing Practice
2026 Edition
Designed for concept mastery, clinical application, and objective-assessment preparation. This is
an independently written educational resource and is not an official WGU exam or reproduction of
any commercial test bank.
300 Original Practice Questions • Detailed Rationales • Scenario-Based Review • Mock
Assessments
Original D220 Nursing Informatics Study Guide — 2026 Page 1
, Table of Contents
1. Course Orientation and Exam Strategy
2. Foundations of Nursing Informatics
3. Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom
4. Health Information Systems and EHRs
5. Clinical Decision Support and Clinical Technologies
6. Interoperability, HIE, and Standards
7. Data Quality, Governance, Analytics, and Dashboards
8. Privacy, Security, Ethics, and Legal Issues
9. Telehealth, mHealth, Consumer Health, and Patient Engagement
10. Workflow, Usability, Implementation, and Change
11. Nursing Informatics Roles and Competencies
12. Quality Improvement and Informatics
13. Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence
14. High-Yield Comparison Tables
15. 300 Original Practice Questions with Rationales
16. Mock Assessment A
17. Mock Assessment B
18. Rapid Review and Final-Week Plan
Appendix: Master Answer Key
Original D220 Nursing Informatics Study Guide — 2026 Page 2
, 1. Course Orientation and Exam Strategy
Current course description: WGU describes D220 as a foundational overview of information technology as it relates to the
baccalaureate-prepared nurse, with emphasis on basic nursing-informatics competency. The course integrates nursing science,
information science, and computer science through health applications to support decision-making.
Core competency areas identified by WGU: using data for decision-making and quality; identifying barriers to informatics and
health literacy; differentiating health information systems and technologies; evaluating health-IT data to monitor and improve
outcomes; and describing legal and ethical implications of informatics.
Exam mindset: Most informatics questions are less about memorizing software names and more about choosing the
technology, data practice, or ethical action that best supports safe, effective, patient-centered care.
Five-step question method: (1) Identify what the question is actually asking. (2) Classify the concept—data, system, workflow,
privacy, analytics, implementation, or ethics. (3) Eliminate answers that are overly absolute or technically unrelated. (4) Choose
the option that improves safety, accuracy, interoperability, or decision-making. (5) Re-read the stem for the stakeholder and
setting.
Common traps: confusing EMR with EHR; confusing privacy with security; assuming interoperability means every system
stores data identically; treating alerts as inherently beneficial; confusing data with information; assuming technology eliminates
the need for clinical judgment; and selecting a technically sophisticated solution when a simpler workflow fix is appropriate.
Original D220 Nursing Informatics Study Guide — 2026 Page 3
, 2. Foundations of Nursing Informatics
Nursing informatics: A specialty that integrates nursing science with information and computer sciences to manage and
communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice.
Informatics vs. information technology: Informatics focuses on using information and technology to improve decisions,
workflows, outcomes, and knowledge; IT is the broader technical infrastructure and services.
ANA definition concept: The emphasis is not simply on computers. The central purpose is using information and technology to
support nursing practice.
QSEN informatics: Nurses should use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and
support decision-making.
Basic competency: A staff nurse should be able to use common clinical information systems safely, recognize information
needs, protect patient information, and use decision-support tools appropriately.
Informatics nurse: Often serves as a bridge between clinical practice and technical/system teams, translating workflow needs
into informatics requirements.
DIKW: Data are raw observations; information adds context; knowledge reflects patterns or relationships; wisdom applies
knowledge with judgment to action.
Original D220 Nursing Informatics Study Guide — 2026 Page 4
NURSING INFORMATICS
Original Comprehensive Study Guide & Practice Question Bank
Information Technology in Nursing Practice
2026 Edition
Designed for concept mastery, clinical application, and objective-assessment preparation. This is
an independently written educational resource and is not an official WGU exam or reproduction of
any commercial test bank.
300 Original Practice Questions • Detailed Rationales • Scenario-Based Review • Mock
Assessments
Original D220 Nursing Informatics Study Guide — 2026 Page 1
, Table of Contents
1. Course Orientation and Exam Strategy
2. Foundations of Nursing Informatics
3. Data, Information, Knowledge, and Wisdom
4. Health Information Systems and EHRs
5. Clinical Decision Support and Clinical Technologies
6. Interoperability, HIE, and Standards
7. Data Quality, Governance, Analytics, and Dashboards
8. Privacy, Security, Ethics, and Legal Issues
9. Telehealth, mHealth, Consumer Health, and Patient Engagement
10. Workflow, Usability, Implementation, and Change
11. Nursing Informatics Roles and Competencies
12. Quality Improvement and Informatics
13. Emerging Technologies and Artificial Intelligence
14. High-Yield Comparison Tables
15. 300 Original Practice Questions with Rationales
16. Mock Assessment A
17. Mock Assessment B
18. Rapid Review and Final-Week Plan
Appendix: Master Answer Key
Original D220 Nursing Informatics Study Guide — 2026 Page 2
, 1. Course Orientation and Exam Strategy
Current course description: WGU describes D220 as a foundational overview of information technology as it relates to the
baccalaureate-prepared nurse, with emphasis on basic nursing-informatics competency. The course integrates nursing science,
information science, and computer science through health applications to support decision-making.
Core competency areas identified by WGU: using data for decision-making and quality; identifying barriers to informatics and
health literacy; differentiating health information systems and technologies; evaluating health-IT data to monitor and improve
outcomes; and describing legal and ethical implications of informatics.
Exam mindset: Most informatics questions are less about memorizing software names and more about choosing the
technology, data practice, or ethical action that best supports safe, effective, patient-centered care.
Five-step question method: (1) Identify what the question is actually asking. (2) Classify the concept—data, system, workflow,
privacy, analytics, implementation, or ethics. (3) Eliminate answers that are overly absolute or technically unrelated. (4) Choose
the option that improves safety, accuracy, interoperability, or decision-making. (5) Re-read the stem for the stakeholder and
setting.
Common traps: confusing EMR with EHR; confusing privacy with security; assuming interoperability means every system
stores data identically; treating alerts as inherently beneficial; confusing data with information; assuming technology eliminates
the need for clinical judgment; and selecting a technically sophisticated solution when a simpler workflow fix is appropriate.
Original D220 Nursing Informatics Study Guide — 2026 Page 3
, 2. Foundations of Nursing Informatics
Nursing informatics: A specialty that integrates nursing science with information and computer sciences to manage and
communicate data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice.
Informatics vs. information technology: Informatics focuses on using information and technology to improve decisions,
workflows, outcomes, and knowledge; IT is the broader technical infrastructure and services.
ANA definition concept: The emphasis is not simply on computers. The central purpose is using information and technology to
support nursing practice.
QSEN informatics: Nurses should use information and technology to communicate, manage knowledge, mitigate error, and
support decision-making.
Basic competency: A staff nurse should be able to use common clinical information systems safely, recognize information
needs, protect patient information, and use decision-support tools appropriately.
Informatics nurse: Often serves as a bridge between clinical practice and technical/system teams, translating workflow needs
into informatics requirements.
DIKW: Data are raw observations; information adds context; knowledge reflects patterns or relationships; wisdom applies
knowledge with judgment to action.
Original D220 Nursing Informatics Study Guide — 2026 Page 4
