IHI QI 104: Interpreting Data: Run
Charts, Control Charts, and Other
Measurement Tools* Questions and
Correct Verified Answers
Use the following scenario to answer questions 1-2:
During a clinical rotation on the medical-surgical floor of a hospital, you notice several
patients have developed urinary tract infections (UTIs) associated with their Foley
catheters (tubes inserted into the bladder to drain urine). Your staff physician agrees
that this is a problem and offers to help with an improvement project. Together, you
work through several PDSA cycles to reduce the rate of UTIs on your floor.
Which of the following methods would you recommend to display your improvement
data?
✓ Draw a run chart.
✓
✓ Run charts are an effective way to view changes over time. They are much easier
to interpret visually than a list of numbers or a static display of data such as a bar
chart.
When designing the run chart, it is important to include:
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, Top Mark Questions and Correct Verified Answers
✓ Units of time on the X axis
✓
✓ The run chart should display units of time — whether it's days, weeks, or months
— on the X axis. The Y axis is where you plot the key variable you are measuring,
which in this case is the rate of UTIs.
What is the minimum number of data points you should usually have to look for signs
of improvement on a run chart?
✓ 10
✓
✓ A run chart becomes more powerful as you add more data points because there
will be more opportunities to identify patterns. If you're looking for signs of
improvement, usually you need at least 10 data points.
Which of the following is a problem with static data?
✓ It doesn't adequately portray variation.
✓
✓ Summary statistics that are static in nature don't give you the appropriate
picture of the variation that lives in your data. Although you can accurately
display data such as the mean, median, or mode, it is not a good way to observe
change over time.
When you are graphing a proportion or a percent, what should you look at to help you
understand the bigger picture?
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