System & Workflow Analysis Flashcards
7 cards from real Epic Skills Assessment practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 System & Workflow Analysis flashcards as text
During a workflow analysis session, a clinical informatics analyst discovers that nurses are documenting the same data in two separate Epic flowsheets. What is the BEST first step to resolve this redundancy?
Answer: Conduct a root-cause analysis to determine why duplicate documentation exists before making changes
Root-cause analysis ensures you understand the clinical or workflow reason for duplication before any changes are made, preventing unintended consequences.
A swim-lane diagram is most useful in Epic workflow analysis for which purpose?
Answer: Showing which role or department is responsible for each step in a cross-functional process
Swim-lane diagrams visually separate responsibilities by role or department, making handoffs and ownership clear in cross-functional workflows.
An analyst is performing a gap analysis comparing a hospital's current Epic build to a newly defined future-state workflow. What does a 'gap' represent in this context?
Answer: A difference between the current system configuration and what is needed to support the desired workflow
A gap is the delta between the current state and the future-state requirement, identifying what must be built, changed, or retired.
Which technique is MOST effective for validating that a redesigned Epic workflow will work as intended before go-live?
Answer: Conducting integrated end-to-end testing with actual end users in a test environment
End-to-end testing with real users in a test environment reveals usability issues and configuration errors before they impact patients or staff.
When mapping an Epic order-entry workflow, an analyst notices that physicians must click through seven screens to place a routine lab order. This finding is BEST classified as:
Answer: A workflow inefficiency that should be documented as an improvement opportunity
Excessive clicks are a workflow inefficiency and a valid improvement opportunity that can be addressed through order sets, SmartLists, or configuration changes.
A healthcare organization wants to standardize medication reconciliation workflows across all inpatient units. Which Epic tool is MOST directly used to enforce workflow consistency for this process?
Answer: BestPractice Advisories (BPAs) and standardized order sets
BestPractice Advisories prompt clinicians at workflow decision points, and standardized order sets ensure consistent medication reconciliation steps across units.
During a workflow observation, an analyst notes that staff regularly bypass a required Epic field by entering placeholder text such as 'N/A.' What does this workaround MOST likely indicate?
Answer: The required field may not be clinically relevant to all workflows that encounter it, signaling a build configuration problem
Consistent workarounds signal a misalignment between the system configuration and the clinical workflow, and should trigger a build review rather than retraining alone.