Paramedic Care: Principles & Practice, 4th edition
Bledsoe/ Porter/ Cherry
Volume 1 Introduction to Paramedicine
Chapter 5 EMS Research
1) _____________ describes phenomena in numbers.
A) Prospective research
B) Qualitative research
C) Mixed research
D) Quantitative research
2) This type of research can help determine whether a procedure, drug, treatment or similar
strategy actually improves patient outcomes.
A) Bench
B) Outcomes-based
C) Mixed
D) Qualitative
3) The person who is overseeing a study and is familiar with requirements for informed consent
is the:
A) Controller
B) Institutional review foreman
C) Principal investigator
D) Abstract editor
4) The difference between mean and median is which of the following?
A) Mean is calculated by adding values, then dividing the sum by the number of values involved;
median is calculated by putting the values into numerical order and finding the middle value.
B) There is no statistical difference between the mean and the median.
C) Median is calculated by adding values, then dividing the sum by the number of values
involved; mean is calculated by putting the values into numerical order and finding the middle
value.
D) Mean is the value of the variance within a study, and median is a representation of the
standard deviation.
5) What is a group of subjects who do not have manipulation of the independent variable called?
A) Subject group
B) Experimental group
C) Treatment group
D) Control group
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6) The acronym ANOVA stands for:
A) An over-variable analog
B) A novel analysis
C) Analysis of variance
D) Abstract null overaction
7) A specific question that a research study sets out to answer is called the:
A) Hypothesis
B) Experiment
C) Metaanalysis
D) Odds ratio
8) Whether or how well a study supports the conclusions is referred to as:
A) Variance
B) Validity
C) Bias
D) Ordinal data
9) This type of study does not allow the subjects or the experimenters to know who is in the
control group and who is not.
A) Quasiexperimental
B) Cross-sectional
C) Double-blind
D) Single-blind
10) This particular statistic reflects only the odds of seeing the results of a particular piece of
research if the study hypothesis is true.
A) Nominal data
B) P value
C) Chi square test
D) T test
11) Which of the following is a common measure of dispersion?
A) Standard deviation
B) Confidence interval
C) Inferential statistics
D) Ordinal data
12) This process is one by which scientists endeavor to construct an accurate representation of
the world that is reliable, consistent, and nonarbitrary.
A) Case series
B) Random sampling
C) Iterative process
D) Scientific method
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13) The ________ is a brief paragraph that summarizes the need for the study, the research
methods used, and the results encountered.
A) Abstract
B) Mode
C) Hypothesis
D) Parameter
14) What is the first step of the scientific method?
A) Observe and ask questions
B) Construct a hypothesis
C) Conduct research and collect data
D) Test the hypothesis
15) Where are the results of a scientific study published, regardless of the outcome of the study?
A) In a medical director paper
B) In an EMS trade magazine
C) In a university-based magazine
D) In a peer review journal
16) What is the difference between qualitative and quantitative research?
A) Quantitative research uses a control group; qualitative research does not use a control group.
B) Quantitative research is designed to determine the relationship between one thing and another
and describe it with numbers; qualitative research primarily relies on collection of nonnumeric
data.
C) Quantitative research does not use a control group; qualitative research does use a control
group.
D) Qualitative research is designed to determine the relationship between one thing and another
and describe it with numbers; quantitative research primarily relies on collection of nonnumeric
data.
17) When comparing and contrasting between a retrospective and prospective study, which of
the following is a TRUE statement?
A) Prospective studies are generally less expensive than retrospective methodologies.
B) There is more chance for the introduction of bias in the data gathering for prospective studies.
C) Prospective studies have greater validity than retrospective studies.
D) Retrospective studies use a research form or instrument specifically designed for the study.
18) Within a(n) ____________study, subjects are randomized into either the treatment group or
the control group; this type is considered among the most valid of studies.
A) Experimental
B) Quasiexperimental
C) Observational
D) Retrospective
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19) In many situations it is unethical to withhold treatment from a group simply for the purposes
of experimentation. As a result a(n) _________ study must be done.
A) Observational
B) Quasiexperimental
C) Retrospective
D) Prospective
20) The most valid of all the specific study types is:
A) Cross-sectional study
B) Metaanalysis of randomized controlled trials
C) Expert opinions, editorials, rational conjecture
D) Bench research
21) This type of study has less validity than an RCT, but it has utility in some circumstances.
The problem in this study design is that there is an increased chance that the study groups will be
different.
A) Cohort study
B) Nonrandomized controlled trials
C) Cross-sectional study
D) Case series
22) The mean is especially useful when the data are what statisticians call “normally
distributed.” This means:
A) If you graphed the data, it would form a shape similar to a bell curve
B) Values are placed into numerical order, and the middle value is determined
C) The data falls within the “fiftieth percentile”
D) The distribution of a group is how spread out it is, or how dispersed the data is
23) ______________ are very important in interpreting the value of the research results.
A) Measures of central tendency
B) Standard deviations
C) Qualitative statistics
D) Confidence intervals
24) This section of a research paper describes exactly how the authors conducted the study,
including what population they wished to study, how subjects were selected (and excluded), and
what intervention was performed:
A) Introduction
B) Discussion
C) Methods
D) Results
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25) The ____________ section of a research paper is where the authors interpret their findings
and describe their significance.
A) Summary
B) Results
C) Methods
D) Discussion
26) The first thing to appear after the title and names of the authors of a research paper is the:
A) Introduction
B) Summary
C) Abstract
D) Results
27) All of the following are questions to ask when reviewing a study, EXCEPT:
A) Was the study type appropriate?
B) Was the research peer-reviewed?
C) Were the results reported properly?
D) What control group were the researchers studying?
28) What type of confidence interval would be appropriate for a research study that is potentially
going to change EMS practice?
A) 80
B) 85
C) 90
D) 95
29) A ____________is undertaken first so you can find unforeseen obstacles to data gathering
during participation in a research study.
A) Null hypothesis
B) Pilot trial
C) Principal investigation
D) Data analysis
30) Telling participants the inclusion and exclusion criteria for enrolling patients in the study, the
effect of the study on patient care in general, and the risks and potential benefits to patients in the
study helps:
A) To gain informed consent
B) To get EMS concessions
C) To identify the PI
D) To determine how to publish
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