CRE Data Analysis & Reporting 3 — Questions and Answers
Question 1: A CRE is preparing a quality improvement report on inhaler technique errors. Which chart type best displays the most frequent errors in descending order?
- Scatter plot
- Pareto chart (Correct answer)
- Box-and-whisker plot
- Histogram
Correct answer: Pareto chart
A Pareto chart ranks categories by frequency in descending order and includes a cumulative percentage line, ideal for prioritizing quality improvement targets.
Question 2: When reviewing spirometry reference equations for a 45-year-old African American female, which factor is critical to apply correctly?
- Height correction factor
- Race/ethnicity-adjusted reference values (Correct answer)
- Weight-based correction
- Altitude adjustment
Correct answer: Race/ethnicity-adjusted reference values
Race/ethnicity-specific reference equations are required because population-based norms differ across ethnic groups for accurate percent-predicted calculations.
Question 3: A CRE notices that asthma control questionnaire scores improved significantly in the first month but plateaued afterward. This pattern best represents which phenomenon?
- Learning effect
- Regression to the mean
- Ceiling effect (Correct answer)
- Hawthorne effect
Correct answer: Ceiling effect
A ceiling effect occurs when scores cluster near the maximum possible value, limiting the ability to detect further improvement.
Question 4: When calculating a program's COPD readmission rate, the denominator should include which patient group?
- Only patients who completed the full program
- All COPD patients discharged from the hospital during the reporting period (Correct answer)
- Patients with two or more prior admissions
- Only patients who consented to follow-up
Correct answer: All COPD patients discharged from the hospital during the reporting period
The denominator for readmission rate includes all eligible discharged COPD patients in the period, regardless of program completion.
Question 5: A respiratory educator finds that arterial blood gas pH values in a dataset are not normally distributed. Which measure of central tendency should be reported?
- Mean
- Geometric mean
- Median (Correct answer)
- Mode
Correct answer: Median
Median is preferred for non-normally distributed continuous data because it is not influenced by outliers or skewness.
Question 6: A CRE is analyzing data showing that high-risk COPD patients who completed education had 40% fewer ER visits. This type of analysis is best described as:
- Randomized controlled trial
- Retrospective cohort analysis (Correct answer)
- Prospective crossover study
- Case-control study
Correct answer: Retrospective cohort analysis
Analyzing existing patient records comparing outcomes between groups over time is a retrospective cohort analysis.
Question 7: Which COPD assessment tool provides data that can be plotted to show disease severity distribution across a patient population?
- BODE index (Correct answer)
- CURB-65 score
- Wells criteria
- APACHE II score
Correct answer: BODE index
The BODE index integrates BMI, obstruction, dyspnea, and exercise capacity into a validated COPD severity score suitable for population-level reporting.
CRE Data Analysis & Reporting 3
A CRE is preparing a quality improvement report on inhaler technique errors.
Which chart type best displays the most frequent errors in descending order?