Chapter 13: Vocabulary Flashcards
To assist you in learning the vocabulary found throughout your text, the exam, and the industry.
Aggregate data
Data extracted from individual health records and combined to form de-identified information about groups of patients that can be compared and analyzed
Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ)
The branch of the US Public Health Service that supports general health research and distributes research findings and treatment guidelines with the goal of improving the quality, appropriateness, and effectiveness of healthcare services
Bar chart
A graphic technique used to display frequency distributions of nominal or ordinal data that fall into categories
Bubble charts
A type of scatter plot with circular symbols used to compare three variables; the area of the circle indicates the value of a third variable
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC)
A federal agency dedicated to protecting health and promoting quality of life through the prevention and control of disease, injury, and disability. Committed to programs that reduce the health and economic consequences of the leading causes of death and disability, thereby ensuring a long, productive, healthy life for all people
Chart
- (noun) The health record of a patient 2. (verb) To document information about a patient in a health record
Comparative data
Individual data that is organized numerically and collated to make some comparisons against standards or benchmarks
Continuous variable
Discrete variables measured with sufficient precision
Correlational studies
A design of research that determines the existence and degree of relationships among factors
Descriptive statistics
A set of statistical techniques used to describe data such as means, frequency distributions, and standard deviations; statistical information that describes the characteristics of a specific group or a population
Descriptive studies
Research that is exploratory in nature and generate new hypotheses from the data that is collected
Discrete variable
A dichotomous or nominal variable whose values are placed into categories
Ethnography
A method of observational research that investigates culture in naturalistic settings using both qualitative and quantitative approaches
Experimental study
Study that strives to establish cause and effect; it entails exposing participants to different interventions in order to compare the result of these interventions with the outcome
Frequency
The number of times something occurs in a particular population or sample over a specific period of time
Frequency polygon
A type of line graph that represents a frequency distribution
Graph
A graphic tool used to show numerical data in a pictorial representation
Grounded theory
A theory about what is actually going on instead of what should go on
Healthcare research organizations
Organizations that conduct, promote, or support research across healthcare organizations
Histogram
A graphic technique used to display the frequency distribution of continuous data (interval or ratio data) as either numbers or percentages in a series of bars
Incidence rate
A computation that compares the number of new cases of a specific disease for a given time period to the population at risk for the disease during the same time period
Independent variable
The factors in experimental research that researchers manipulate directly.
Individual data
Healthcare data that is housed within the electronic health record, data collected from a case study, a focus group of individuals, or during an interview or survey
Inferential statistics
- Statistics that are used to make inferences from a smaller group of data to a large one 2. A set of statistical techniques that allows researchers to make generalizations about a population’s characteristics (parameters) on the basis of a sample’s characteristics
Institutional Review Board (IRB)
An administrative body that provides review, oversight, guidance, and approval for research projects carried out by employees serving as researchers, regardless of the location of the research (such as a university or private research agency); responsible for protecting the rights and welfare of the human subjects involved in the research. IRB oversight is mandatory for federally funded research projects
Interval variables
Variables that have equal units with an arbitrary zero point
Line graph
A graphic technique used to illustrate the relationship between continuous measurements; consists of a line drawn to connect a series of points on an arithmetic scale; often used to display time trends
Mean
A measure of central tendency that is determined by calculating the arithmetic average of the observations in a frequency distribution
Measures of central tendency
The typical or average numbers that are descriptive of the entire collection of data for a specific population
Measures of variability
Examination of the spread of different values around the measures of central tendency; these include the range, variance, and standard deviation.
Median
A measure of central tendency that shows the midpoint of a frequency distribution when the observations have been arranged in order from lowest to highest
Mixed-methodology
Research study approach that includes using both quantitative and qualitative data
Mode
A measure of central tendency that consists of the most frequent observation in a frequency distribution
Nominal variables
Variables in which a number is assigned to a specific category; such as a 1= male and 2 = female
Normal distribution
A theoretical family of continuous frequency distributions characterized by a symmetric bell-shaped curve, with an equal mean, median, and mode; any standard deviation; and with half of the observations above the mean and half below it
Ordinal variables
Ranked variables in which a number is assigned to rank a category in an ordered series but does not indicate the magnitude of the difference between any two data points
Pareto chart
A bar graph that includes bars arranged in order of descending size to show decisions on the prioritization of issues, problems, or solutions
Percentile
A measure used in descriptive statistics that shows the value below which a given percentage of scores in a given group of scores fall
Pie chart
A graphic technique in which the proportions of a category are displayed as portions of a circle (like pieces of a pie); used to show the relationship of individual parts to the whole
Presentation software
Software used to build slides when presenting a specific topic, idea, research data or any type of information
Proportion
The relation of one part to another or to the whole with respect to magnitude, quantity, or degree
Prospective study
A study designed to observe outcomes or events that occur after the identification of a group of subjects to be studied
Qualitative research
Research design that collects types of data that includes a participant’s perceptions, attitudes, feelings or attitudes about a certain subject; methods used to collect qualitative data can include observations, focus groups, case studies, informal conversational interviews, and in-depth interviews
Qualitative variables
Categorical variables; all are discrete and include both nominal and ordinal variables
Quantitative study
Data collected for research studies that are collated numerically with descriptive, inferential, or predictive statistics
Quantitative variables
Numerical variables; can be broken down into interval and ratio variables
Quasi-experimental study
Similar to the experimental study except that randomization of participants is not included in a quasi-experimental study, the independent variable may not be manipulated by the researcher, and there may be no control or comparison group; these studies can be performed over time and may not include individual participants but whole healthcare systems
Randomization
The assignment of subjects to experimental or control groups based on chance
Range
A measure of variability between the smallest and largest observations in a frequency distribution
Ratio variables
The most common quantitative variables used in healthcare; these variables include numbers that can be compared meaningfully with one another; zero is truly zero on the ratio scale
Research methodologies
Research studies that can range from exploratory or descriptive studies that strive to generate new hypotheses based on data collected to experimental studies that provide interventions or treatments that can reduce the spread of an existing disease
Retrospective study
A type of research conducted by reviewing records from the past (for example, birth and death certificates or health records) or by obtaining information about past events through surveys or interviews
Scatter charts
A graph that visually displays the linear relationships among factors
Standard deviation
A measure of variability that describes the deviation from the mean of a frequency distribution in the original units of measurement; the square root of the variance
Stem and leaf plots
A visual display that organizes data to show its shape and distribution, using two columns with the stem in the left-hand column and all leaves associated with that stem in the right-hand column; the “leaf” is the ones digit of the number, and the other digits form the “stem”
Statistical packages
Software that can be used to facilitate the data collection and analysis process; these packages simplify the statistical analysis of data and are often used in addition to spreadsheet software
Table
An organized arrangement of data, usually in columns and rows
Variability
The dispersion of a set of measures around the population mean
Variance
A disagreement between two parts; the square of the standard deviation; a measure of variability that gives the average of the squared deviations from the mean; in financial management, the difference between the budgeted amount and the actual amount of a line item; in project management, the difference between the original project plan and current estimates
World Health Organization (WHO)
The United Nations specialized agency created to ensure the attainment by all peoples of the highest possible levels of health; responsible for a number of international classifications, including ICD-10 and ICF
