NAHQ CPHQ Practice Exam

Which of the following sampling techniques involves selecting the medical record of every fifth patient undergoing cardiovascular bypass?

1. convenience

2. simple random

3. stratified

4. systematic

The correct answer is: systematic

Systematic sampling involves selecting every nth item from a list. In this case, every fifth patient undergoing cardiovascular bypass is being selected. Systematic sampling is efficient and easy to implement, making it a commonly used sampling technique in healthcare quality improvement initiatives. In contrast: - Convenience sampling does not involve a random selection process and may introduce bias. - Simple random sampling involves each item having an equal probability of being selected, which is not the case in this scenario. - Stratified sampling involves dividing the population into subgroups and then randomly selecting samples from each subgroup, which is different from the systematic approach of selecting every nth item.