WGU D514 - MHA 2025 actual questions with 100% accurate solutions + rationales (PASSED)

AHRQ

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality

Alternative hypothesis

The alternative model that you want to consider.

Analysis Plan

What statistical test will be performed after the data is gathered to evaluate/analyze the data.

ANOVA

Used when you want to compare means of three or more independent groups.

Bayesian Approach

An extremely advanced mathematical process that applies probabilities to statistical problems.

Beneficence

In research ethics, states that researchers should have the welfare of the research participant as a goal.

Bivariate Analysis

The analysis of two variables to determine the empirical relationship between them.

CDC

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CLABSI

Central Line Associated Bloodstream Infection

CMS

Center for Medicare and Medicaid Services

Cancer Registry

Used to collect, analyze, and manage data on persons with malignant or neoplastic disease.

Case Study

An observation in which researchers investigate one person, one group, or one institution in depth.

Categorical Variable

Assume values that are names or labels.

Central tendency

The typical values occurring in the middle of a distribution.

Chi-square Test

Used when comparing values of what you expect versus what you observe.

Cluster Analysis

A statistical technique used to identify how various units can be grouped together because of characteristics they have in common.

Cohort Study

A study used to investigate the causes of disease or establishing links between risk factors and health outcomes.

Confounding Variable

A variable that obscures the effect of another variable.

Continuous Variable

A measure score in which each individual value can fall anywhere along a continuum.

Correlation Coefficient

Measures strength and direction of a linear relationship between two variables on a scatterplot.

Correlational research

Looks for relationships between the data.

Cross-Sectional Study

Analyzes data collected from a population or subset at a specific point in time.

Data Collection

Where is the data coming from to support the research?

Data Warehouse

Used for advanced data mining and has a huge amount of data.

De-identified

Their personal identifiers are removed to prevent the identification of other people, protecting their privacy.

Demographic Statistic

Looking at a specific population or group.

Dependent Variable

What is going to change (or not) as a result of research or intervention.

Descriptive Statistics

Describe what the data show about the characteristics of a sample.

Descriptive Research

Describes the current status, using surveys or observation to gather your data.

Dichotomous Variable

Also called a binary variable. It occurs in one of two possible states.

Dimensional Analysis

Analysis using facts of physical quantities added to or equated with each other, expressed of the same fundamental quantities.

Evaluation Research

Done to evaluate effectiveness, and you would use case studies.

Experimental Research

Looks for cause and effect, this would be the type of research done using studies such as clinical trials.

F test

Used for equality of variance when comparing statistical models fitted to a data set.

Factor Analysis

A statistical technique that reduces a large set of variables into a smaller number of factors by extracting their commonalities.

Fidelity

Refers to the concept of keeping a commitment and is based upon the virtue of caring.

Flat File

Simple and widely used for data exchange and processing because it's easy to manipulate across different platforms.

Focus Group

Group of people assembled to participate in a guided discussion about a particular product or process.

Frequency Distribution

Values that a variable can take, and number of observations associated with each value.

HCAHPS

Patient satisfaction survey required by CMS for all U.S. hospitals containing 29 questions about their recent hospital stay.

HRSA

Health Resources and Services Administration, federal agency for improving healthcare to people without insurance, economically, or medically vulnerable.

Healthy People 2030

Provides set of objectives with data to improve health and well-being over the next decade.

Incidence

The rate of new or newly diagnosed cases of the disease occurring within a period of time.

Independent Variable

Has an effect on dependent variable. It is what you are controlling.

Indirect Observation

Relying on the reported observations of others.

Inferential Statistics

Help us make inferences or guess about a larger group of data by drawing conclusions from a small group of data.

Justice

The fair selection of research participants, ideal distribution of risks and benefits in clinical research.

Linear Regression

Used to study the related groups between a dependent variable (risk of skin cancer) and one or more independent variables.

Literature Review

Large-scale survey of families and individuals, their medical providers and employers.

MEPS

Medical Expenditure Panel Survey; most complete source and use of data on cost and use of healthcare and insurance coverage.

Maleficence

Describes a practice which opposes the welfare of any research participant.

Mean

Arithmetic average.

Median

Midpoint (center) of distribution of values.

Meta Analysis

A more comprehensive use of existing data and statistical analysis to apply to a problem.

Mode

Value that occurs most frequently in the data.

Multidimensional

Different users working on different components on a database.

Multiple Regression

Using more than one variable to predict the response.

NPDB

National Practitioner Data Bank; system that manages reports containing information on medical payments and certain adverse actions related to healthcare practitioners.

Null Hypothesis

States that the two groups we are studying are the same.

Object-Oriented

Stores text, audio, videos, images, and other objects.

Odds Ratio Analysis

Measure of association between an exposure and an outcome.

One Sample T-test

Determines if two sets of data are significantly different from each other.

Ordinal Variable

Order matters, but not the difference between values.

P-value

The level of probability; the lower it is, the less probability that the results occurred by chance.

Paired T-test

Used to compare the means of two samples when each observation in one sample can be paired with an observation in the other sample.

Parameter

Summarizes a population (the entire group you are interested in investigating).

Pearson's Correlation Coefficient

A test for relationship between two quantitative variables that are interval or ratio data types.

Plagiarism

The uncredited use (both intentional and unintentional) of somebody else's words or ideas.

Population of Study

A group of individuals taken from the general population who share a common characteristic.

Predictive Modeling

Process used to identify patterns that can be used to predict the odds of a particular outcome based on the data gathered.

Pretest-Post test

A quasi-experiment where participants are studied before and after the experimental manipulation.

Prevalence

The actual number of cases alive with the disease during a period of time.

Qualitative Data

Descriptive data based on observations involving 5 senses.

Quantitative Data

Numerical data which are discrete (counting based on whole number) and continuous (measurement based on distance from any number).

Randomized Control Trial

People are allocated at random to receive one of several clinical interventions.

Randomized Statistic

Using chance methods to assign subjects to a study.

Range

Measure of spread - the difference between the largest and smallest values in a frequency distribution.

Ratio

Different ways to express the same proportion, such as 6:10 or 60%.

Regression Analysis

Statistical method that helps researchers understand and predict relationships between multiple variables.

Relational Database

Data stored in various tables where each table has a field that connects it to other tables.

Research Design

The type of study being done and how the research is constructed to achieve the researchers' purpose.

Research Identified

Data collected from participants that can be linked back to them.

Research Methodologies

Different designs used in research, both qualitative and quantitative.

Retrospective Study

Studies a cohort of individuals that share a common exposure factor to determine its influence on disease development.

Risk Stratification

Assigning a risk status to a patient to define or direct care.

Sample Size

Numbers include the number of patients who begin a study and the number who complete it.

Sensitivity Analysis

A technique used to understand how changes in independent variables impact a specific dependent variable.

Standard Deviation

Measures variability which describes the deviation from the average of a frequency distribution.

Stratification Analysis

A process of dividing members of a population into homogeneous subgroups before sampling.

Study Population

Who is being studied in the research.

Time-Series Analysis

A sequence of data taken at equally spaced points in time to predict future values.

Transactional Database

Retrieves values for patients that roll back to originally stored information due to power loss or hacking.

Trauma Registry

Used to collect, analyze, and manage data on trauma patients with injuries.

Two Sample T-test

Compares two independent groups to draw conclusions about the effectiveness of each intervention.

U-test (Mann-Whitney U test)

Used when data do not follow a normal distribution or when sample sizes are small.

Variable

A characteristic that can have different values, counted, measured, or categorized.

Z-test

Used to compare the means of two groups when population variances are known and sample size is large.

Non-parametric Test

Tests that make no assumptions about the parameters of the population distribution.

Parametric Statistical Test

Tests that make assumptions about the parameters of the population distribution from which data are drawn.

Population Parameter

When a value in a population is known.