Is there an association between the use of computerized system and hospital mort

Question

Is there an association between the use of computerized system and hospital mortality? In a large-scale hospital study, the study investigator randomly sampled 35 hospitals from all hospitals in Texas. Within each of the sampled hospitals, 500 patients who were hospitalized during the past year were randomly chosen. Their medical records were retrieved and whether they died while hospitalized was noted. It was found that on average, hospitals (26 of them) in which health care information is gathered and stored on computers had a lower patient death rate than hospitals (9 of them) that still rely on the "paper" system (using paper forms and handwritten notes)

What kind of study is this?
A. An observational study.
B. An experiment.
C. None of the above.

What sampling method was employed in selecting the 17500 patients?
A. Simple random sampling.
B. Stratified random sampling.
C. Multistage sampling.
D. Systematic sampling.

Which of the following is the population of interest to the study investigator? Choose the most appropriate answer.
A. All hospitals in Texas.
B. All patients who were admitted to the 35 selected hospitals in Texas.
C. The 35 Texas hospitals that were selected in the study.
D. The 17500 patients whose medical records were retrieved in the study.

Which of the following statements is correct about the average patient death rate of all Texas hospitals in which health care information is gathered and stored on computers?
A. It is a variable of interest.
B. It is a statistic.
C. It is a parameter

What graphical display is appropriate for comparing the distribution of patient death rates between hospitals that use computer systems and those that rely on the âpaperâ system?
A. A scatterplot.
B. A bar chart.
C. A stem-and-leaf display.
D. Side-by-side boxplots.

Mr. Prudence read about the study results and concluded from there that hospitals should adopt computerized automation of notes and records because it increases patientsâ chance of survival. Which of the following is a correct statement about Mr. Prudenceâs conclusion?
A. It is a valid conclusion because the study was based on a very large number of patients.
B. It is a valid conclusion because the study results showed that hospitals which use computerized systems have a lower patient death rate.
C. It is an invalid conclusion because this study does not necessarily prove a causal relationship between the use of computerized system and hospital mortality.
D. Both A) and B).

Explanation / Answer

This is an observational study, because here the sample is just being analyzed and the variables are not controlled in any way.

This is an example of a multistage sampling because here first the hospitals were chosen at random, and then from among those hospitals the patients were then selected randomly.

The population of interest is all the hospitals in Texas.

Average patient death rate of all hospitals in Texas using compterised records is a parameter, because parameters describe the characteristics of population, while statistic is used to describe the sample.

In this case since we have to just compare the average death rates, so a bar chart would be more appropriate.

Regarding the conclusion, It is an invalid conclusion because this study does not necessarily prove a causal relationship between the use of computerized system and hospital mortality. In order to establish a significant relationship, you need to analyze more data and do proper hypothesis testing.

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