DNP Week 9: Quality Improvement Data Collection and Outcome
Evaluation 2026 |Galen
1. Which of the following best describes the primary goal of outcome evaluation
in a Quality Improvement (QI) project?
A. To determine if the implemented changes led to the desired improvements
B. To publish findings in a peer-reviewed journal
C. To assign blame for clinical errors
D. To increase the hospital’s annual budget
Answer: A
Rationale: The primary purpose of outcome evaluation in QI is to assess whether the
interventions or changes implemented resulted in the intended improvements in patient
care or organizational processes.
2. In the context of QI, what is the ‘Study’ phase of the PDSA cycle primarily
focused on?
A. Implementing the change on a small scale
B. Identifying a problem and planning a change
C. Expanding the intervention to the entire organization
D. Analyzing data to compare results against predictions
Answer: D
Rationale: The ‘Study’ phase involves analyzing the data collected during the ‘Do’ phase to
see if the changes worked as predicted.
,3. Which type of measure focuses on the physical and organizational
characteristics of the setting where care is delivered?
A. Process measures
B. Outcome measures
C. Structure measures
D. Balancing measures
Answer: C
Rationale: Structure measures assess the environment and resources, such as nurse-to-
patient ratios or the presence of electronic health record systems.
4. A DNP student is tracking how often hand hygiene is performed before
patient contact. This is an example of which type of measure?
A. Process measure
B. Outcome measure
C. Structure measure
D. Financial measure
Answer: A
Rationale: Process measures evaluate whether the specific steps or actions intended to
lead to an outcome are being carried out as planned.
5. Which measure is used to ensure that a change in one part of the system is
not causing new problems in another part?
A. Outcome measure
B. Balancing measure
C. Process measure
D. Baseline measure
Answer: B
Rationale: Balancing measures look at the system from different perspectives to ensure
unintended consequences are not occurring elsewhere.
, 6. What is the primary difference between QI and research regarding data
collection?
A. QI requires a much larger sample size than research
B. QI projects do not require any data collection
C. Research data does not need to be accurate, whereas QI data does
D. QI uses data for rapid cycles of improvement, while research seeks to generate new generalizable
knowledge
Answer: D
Rationale: QI is focused on internal organizational improvement and rapid cycles, whereas
research is designed to create knowledge that can be applied broadly (generalizability).
7. When evaluating a QI project, ‘Benchmarking’ refers to:
A. Comparing one’s own performance against industry standards or top performers
B. Setting a goal based on the lowest performing unit
C. A method of hiding data from stakeholders
D. The process of deleting outliers from a dataset
Answer: A
Rationale: Benchmarking involves comparing your organization’s processes and
performance metrics to industry bests and best practices from other organizations.
8. Which tool is most effective for visualizing data trends over time in a QI
project?
A. Run chart
B. Fishbone diagram
C. Pareto chart
D. Check sheet
Answer: A
Rationale: Run charts are graphs used to display data in chronological order, making it
easier to identify trends, shifts, or patterns over time.
Evaluation 2026 |Galen
1. Which of the following best describes the primary goal of outcome evaluation
in a Quality Improvement (QI) project?
A. To determine if the implemented changes led to the desired improvements
B. To publish findings in a peer-reviewed journal
C. To assign blame for clinical errors
D. To increase the hospital’s annual budget
Answer: A
Rationale: The primary purpose of outcome evaluation in QI is to assess whether the
interventions or changes implemented resulted in the intended improvements in patient
care or organizational processes.
2. In the context of QI, what is the ‘Study’ phase of the PDSA cycle primarily
focused on?
A. Implementing the change on a small scale
B. Identifying a problem and planning a change
C. Expanding the intervention to the entire organization
D. Analyzing data to compare results against predictions
Answer: D
Rationale: The ‘Study’ phase involves analyzing the data collected during the ‘Do’ phase to
see if the changes worked as predicted.
,3. Which type of measure focuses on the physical and organizational
characteristics of the setting where care is delivered?
A. Process measures
B. Outcome measures
C. Structure measures
D. Balancing measures
Answer: C
Rationale: Structure measures assess the environment and resources, such as nurse-to-
patient ratios or the presence of electronic health record systems.
4. A DNP student is tracking how often hand hygiene is performed before
patient contact. This is an example of which type of measure?
A. Process measure
B. Outcome measure
C. Structure measure
D. Financial measure
Answer: A
Rationale: Process measures evaluate whether the specific steps or actions intended to
lead to an outcome are being carried out as planned.
5. Which measure is used to ensure that a change in one part of the system is
not causing new problems in another part?
A. Outcome measure
B. Balancing measure
C. Process measure
D. Baseline measure
Answer: B
Rationale: Balancing measures look at the system from different perspectives to ensure
unintended consequences are not occurring elsewhere.
, 6. What is the primary difference between QI and research regarding data
collection?
A. QI requires a much larger sample size than research
B. QI projects do not require any data collection
C. Research data does not need to be accurate, whereas QI data does
D. QI uses data for rapid cycles of improvement, while research seeks to generate new generalizable
knowledge
Answer: D
Rationale: QI is focused on internal organizational improvement and rapid cycles, whereas
research is designed to create knowledge that can be applied broadly (generalizability).
7. When evaluating a QI project, ‘Benchmarking’ refers to:
A. Comparing one’s own performance against industry standards or top performers
B. Setting a goal based on the lowest performing unit
C. A method of hiding data from stakeholders
D. The process of deleting outliers from a dataset
Answer: A
Rationale: Benchmarking involves comparing your organization’s processes and
performance metrics to industry bests and best practices from other organizations.
8. Which tool is most effective for visualizing data trends over time in a QI
project?
A. Run chart
B. Fishbone diagram
C. Pareto chart
D. Check sheet
Answer: A
Rationale: Run charts are graphs used to display data in chronological order, making it
easier to identify trends, shifts, or patterns over time.
