HDA310 Health Informatics
Midterm Exam Review
(Questions & Solutions)
2025
©2025
, Question 1 (Multiple Choice):
A regional hospital is integrating disparate electronic systems and needs
to exchange clinical data reliably. Which standard is most commonly used
as a messaging protocol for this purpose?
a) DICOM
b) HL7 V2
c) SNOMED CT
d) ICD-10
Correct ANS: b) HL7 V2
Rationale: HL7 V2 is one of the most widely adopted messaging
standards for health information exchange between systems. While
DICOM is used for imaging, SNOMED CT is a clinical terminology, and ICD-
10 is a classification system for diagnoses.
---
Question 2 (Multiple Choice):
FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a modern standard in
health informatics. Which design principle best characterizes FHIR?
a) Monolithic system design
b) Modular “resource” components
c) Obscure proprietary formats
d) Batch-only data exchange
Correct ANS: b) Modular “resource” components
Rationale: FHIR is built as a set of modular components—or
“resources”—that are easy to implement using modern web
technologies, thus enhancing interoperability and flexibility in data
exchange.
---
©2025
, Question 3 (Multiple Choice):
In imaging informatics, which standard is specifically designed for
managing, storing, and transmitting medical images?
a) HL7
b) DICOM
c) LOINC
d) FHIR
Correct ANS: b) DICOM
Rationale: DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is
the standard used for handling, storing, printing, and transmitting
information in medical imaging, ensuring interoperability among imaging
devices.
---
Question 4 (Multiple Choice):
When ensuring the standardization of laboratory test codes in an EHR,
which coding system is most appropriate?
a) ICD-10
b) LOINC
c) CPT
d) SNOMED CT
Correct ANS: b) LOINC
Rationale: LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) is
widely used to standardize codes for laboratory tests and clinical
observations, facilitating data exchange and comparison.
---
Question 5 (Multiple Choice):
The term “big data” in health informatics generally refers to:
a) A collection of paper-based patient records
©2025
, b) Large volumes of structured and unstructured healthcare data
c) Data used exclusively for financial billing
d) A small database of historical patient files
Correct ANS: b) Large volumes of structured and unstructured
healthcare data
Rationale: Big data in health informatics encompasses huge and diverse
datasets—both structured (e.g., EHRs) and unstructured (e.g., clinical
notes or sensor data)—that can be analyzed to reveal patterns, trends,
and insights.
---
Question 6 (Multiple Choice):
Which protocol is essential for ensuring that sensitive health information
is securely transmitted over the Internet?
a) FTP
b) Telnet
c) SSL/TLS
d) HTTP
Correct ANS: c) SSL/TLS
Rationale: Secure communication protocols such as SSL/TLS (Secure
Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) encrypt data during
transmission, safeguarding sensitive health information against
interception.
---
Question 7 (Multiple Choice):
Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) are a critical component of
health informatics. Which analytic technique is most commonly used by
advanced CDSS to predict patient outcomes?
a) Descriptive statistics
b) Machine learning algorithms
©2025
Midterm Exam Review
(Questions & Solutions)
2025
©2025
, Question 1 (Multiple Choice):
A regional hospital is integrating disparate electronic systems and needs
to exchange clinical data reliably. Which standard is most commonly used
as a messaging protocol for this purpose?
a) DICOM
b) HL7 V2
c) SNOMED CT
d) ICD-10
Correct ANS: b) HL7 V2
Rationale: HL7 V2 is one of the most widely adopted messaging
standards for health information exchange between systems. While
DICOM is used for imaging, SNOMED CT is a clinical terminology, and ICD-
10 is a classification system for diagnoses.
---
Question 2 (Multiple Choice):
FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a modern standard in
health informatics. Which design principle best characterizes FHIR?
a) Monolithic system design
b) Modular “resource” components
c) Obscure proprietary formats
d) Batch-only data exchange
Correct ANS: b) Modular “resource” components
Rationale: FHIR is built as a set of modular components—or
“resources”—that are easy to implement using modern web
technologies, thus enhancing interoperability and flexibility in data
exchange.
---
©2025
, Question 3 (Multiple Choice):
In imaging informatics, which standard is specifically designed for
managing, storing, and transmitting medical images?
a) HL7
b) DICOM
c) LOINC
d) FHIR
Correct ANS: b) DICOM
Rationale: DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) is
the standard used for handling, storing, printing, and transmitting
information in medical imaging, ensuring interoperability among imaging
devices.
---
Question 4 (Multiple Choice):
When ensuring the standardization of laboratory test codes in an EHR,
which coding system is most appropriate?
a) ICD-10
b) LOINC
c) CPT
d) SNOMED CT
Correct ANS: b) LOINC
Rationale: LOINC (Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes) is
widely used to standardize codes for laboratory tests and clinical
observations, facilitating data exchange and comparison.
---
Question 5 (Multiple Choice):
The term “big data” in health informatics generally refers to:
a) A collection of paper-based patient records
©2025
, b) Large volumes of structured and unstructured healthcare data
c) Data used exclusively for financial billing
d) A small database of historical patient files
Correct ANS: b) Large volumes of structured and unstructured
healthcare data
Rationale: Big data in health informatics encompasses huge and diverse
datasets—both structured (e.g., EHRs) and unstructured (e.g., clinical
notes or sensor data)—that can be analyzed to reveal patterns, trends,
and insights.
---
Question 6 (Multiple Choice):
Which protocol is essential for ensuring that sensitive health information
is securely transmitted over the Internet?
a) FTP
b) Telnet
c) SSL/TLS
d) HTTP
Correct ANS: c) SSL/TLS
Rationale: Secure communication protocols such as SSL/TLS (Secure
Sockets Layer/Transport Layer Security) encrypt data during
transmission, safeguarding sensitive health information against
interception.
---
Question 7 (Multiple Choice):
Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) are a critical component of
health informatics. Which analytic technique is most commonly used by
advanced CDSS to predict patient outcomes?
a) Descriptive statistics
b) Machine learning algorithms
©2025
