NCCPA Research and Advocacy 2 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A PA researcher wants to compare two treatments without random assignment. Which study design is most appropriate?
- Randomized controlled trial
- Quasi-experimental design (Correct answer)
- Case report
- Cross-sectional survey
Correct answer: Quasi-experimental design
Quasi-experimental designs compare groups without randomization, making them suitable when random assignment is not feasible.
Question 2: Which statistical measure best describes the spread of data values around the mean?
- Median
- Mode
- Standard deviation (Correct answer)
- Interquartile range
Correct answer: Standard deviation
Standard deviation quantifies how much individual data points deviate from the mean of a dataset.
Question 3: A PA advocates for a policy requiring insurance coverage of annual diabetes screenings. This is an example of which type of advocacy?
- Individual patient advocacy
- Community advocacy
- Legislative advocacy (Correct answer)
- Institutional advocacy
Correct answer: Legislative advocacy
Legislative advocacy involves working to influence laws and insurance regulations at governmental levels.
Question 4: In a research study, the Hawthorne effect refers to:
- Selection bias from convenience sampling
- Participants changing behavior because they know they are being observed (Correct answer)
- Confounding from uncontrolled variables
- Attrition of subjects over time
Correct answer: Participants changing behavior because they know they are being observed
The Hawthorne effect describes altered behavior by participants who are aware they are being studied.
Question 5: Which organization publishes the AAPA guidelines that PAs may use as advocacy references?
- NCCPA
- American Academy of Physician Associates (Correct answer)
- American Medical Association
- Centers for Disease Control
Correct answer: American Academy of Physician Associates
The AAPA (American Academy of Physician Associates) is the national professional organization that publishes policy and advocacy guidelines for PAs.
Question 6: A PA notices a disparity in pain management prescribing for minority patients. The most appropriate first advocacy step is to:
- Report the disparity to the DEA
- Collect and present data demonstrating the disparity to hospital leadership (Correct answer)
- Immediately change all prescribing protocols
- File a complaint with the state medical board
Correct answer: Collect and present data demonstrating the disparity to hospital leadership
Presenting data-driven evidence to leadership is the foundational first step for institutional-level advocacy on health disparities.
Question 7: Which component is essential for a well-constructed PICO research question?
- Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome (Correct answer)
- Protocol, Instrument, Control, Observation
- Participants, Intent, Criteria, Objective
- Problem, Identification, Category, Output
Correct answer: Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome
PICO stands for Population, Intervention, Comparison, and Outcome — the framework for structuring clinical research questions.
NCCPA Research and Advocacy 2
A PA researcher wants to compare two treatments without random assignment.
Which study design is most appropriate?