Epic Skills Assessment Data and Chart Interpretation 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: An Epic dashboard displays a dual-axis chart with bars for patient volume (left axis, hundreds) and a line for average length of stay (right axis, days). In April, the bar reaches 300 and the line is at 4.2. What does each data point represent?
- 300 patients with 4.2 average diagnoses each
- 300 hundred patients with 4.2 days average stay
- 300 patients with 4.2 hours average stay
- 300 patients with 4.2 days average stay (Correct answer)
Correct answer: 300 patients with 4.2 days average stay
The left axis unit is hundreds, so 300 on that scale = 300 patients, and the right axis measures days, so 4.2 = 4.2 days average length of stay.
Question 2: A control chart for hand hygiene compliance shows a center line at 80%, upper control limit at 94%, and lower control limit at 66%. A data point falls at 97%. What does this indicate?
- Normal process variation
- An unusually high result that may warrant investigation (Correct answer)
- The target was not met
- The lower control limit was breached
Correct answer: An unusually high result that may warrant investigation
A point above the upper control limit (94%) indicates a special cause variation — an unusual result that falls outside expected process behavior and should be investigated.
Question 3: A table compares two patient groups: Group A (n=50) with 6 adverse events, and Group B (n=200) with 16 adverse events. Which group has the higher adverse event rate?
- Group A (Correct answer)
- Group B
- Both groups are equal
- Cannot be determined from this data
Correct answer: Group A
Group A rate = 6/50 = 12%; Group B rate = 16/200 = 8% — Group A has a higher adverse event rate despite fewer absolute events.
Question 4: A stacked bar chart shows patient fall risk categories per unit. The Orthopedic unit bar is tallest and the High Risk segment fills 60% of the bar. The ICU bar is shorter but High Risk fills 80%. Which unit has more high-risk patients?
- ICU, because its percentage is higher
- Orthopedic, because its bar is taller
- They are equal
- Cannot be determined without knowing total patient counts (Correct answer)
Correct answer: Cannot be determined without knowing total patient counts
Without knowing the actual total number of patients in each unit, the absolute number of high-risk patients cannot be determined from percentages and bar height alone.
Question 5: Epic's sepsis alert dashboard shows an alert fired at 14:00 but the first antibiotic was given at 15:30. What is the response time lag?
- 30 minutes
- 60 minutes
- 90 minutes (Correct answer)
- 120 minutes
Correct answer: 90 minutes
From 14:00 to 15:30 is 1 hour and 30 minutes, which equals 90 minutes.
Question 6: A histogram displays the distribution of patient ages on a medical unit. The tallest bar spans ages 65–74. What does this indicate?
- Every patient on the unit is between 65 and 74
- The 65–74 age group is the most frequently occurring on this unit (Correct answer)
- The average patient age is 70
- The median age is 65
Correct answer: The 65–74 age group is the most frequently occurring on this unit
In a histogram, the tallest bar represents the age interval with the highest frequency — the most common age range among patients, not the average or only age group.
Question 7: A run chart of daily patient satisfaction scores shows 8 consecutive data points all above the median line. What does this signal?
- Random variation around the median
- A likely real shift in the process (Correct answer)
- The median has been recalculated incorrectly
- Insufficient data to draw any conclusion
Correct answer: A likely real shift in the process
By run chart rules, 8 or more consecutive points on the same side of the median is a signal of non-random variation indicating a likely real shift in the process.
Epic Skills Assessment Data and Chart Interpretation 3
An Epic dashboard displays a dual-axis chart with bars for patient volume (left axis, hundreds) and a line for average length of stay (right axis, days).
In April, the bar reaches 300 and the line is at 4.2.
What does each data point represent?