Unit 12 Flashcards
The first step of analyzing new data is to
Plot the raw data
One of your coworkers shows you a graph that plots the average length of stay for your unit by month of discharge for the past 12 months. You notice that one month is about triple the average length of stay of the other months. Of the following, which is the best step to take next:
Instead of a single point for the average for each month, use a box plot for each month and show all of the underlying values.
Aggregate statistics are accurate summaries of data only when
The aggregate measure or measures completely describes the underlying distribution
The following funnel plot shows medicare mortality rates by state for 2011.
Select the most accurate statement regarding the states that are within all of the control lines
These states cannot be ranked because their performance is not statistically different from the average rate of all states
The following funnel plot shows medicare mortality rates by state for 2011.
What does the red line in the funnel plot above represent?
The average of all of the state rates
The following funnel plot shows medicare mortality rates by state for 2011.
Select the most accurate statement about the states that are outside all of the control lines
NOT
These states are statistically likely to be different from the states within the control lines, but you cannot say that they are better or worse
These states may all be affected by common cause variation
You can rank these states to all other states that fall outside the control lines
COMMENT
They are likely to be different, but you can compare them to the states within the lines
Slightly shifting points to avoid overplotting is called what?
Jittering
Match the question to the most appropriate chart type
The difference between the actual number of central line infections and the targeted number
Funnel plot
How the distribution of times from ED check in to ED triage changes from month to month
Multiple box plots on a single graph
The distribution of the amount of time from check in to ED triage for 1000 patients
Histogram
The effects of sample size on infection rates in 10 different clinical units, where each unit sees a wide ranging number of patients.
Bullet graph
The trend in a patient’s HbA1c test result over two years
Time series
The proportion of male and female patients of each gender seen at a specific hospital in 2011
Bar chart
What are the advantages of a stem and leaf plot over a histogram? (Select all that apply)
The stem and leaf plot is easy to produce using text
The stem and leaf plot retains the most significant digits of the data
The stem and leaf plot makes it easier to see the distribution of values within a range
To create a funnel plot you must ensure that your data are
normally distributed
