Health Information Technology (HIT) has revolutionized modern healthcare, and its role in supporting outpatient drug use is increasingly critical for optimizing patient outcomes and medication safety. For PharmD students, understanding the various HIT tools and systems—from e-Prescribing and Clinical Decision Support Systems to patient portals and mobile health applications—is essential for effective practice in contemporary outpatient and community pharmacy settings. These technologies facilitate better medication management, enhance interprofessional communication, improve patient adherence, and support data-driven decision-making. This MCQ quiz will explore the key informatics concepts and HIT applications that support and enhance outpatient drug use.
1. Which of the following is a primary benefit of electronic prescribing (e-Prescribing) in an outpatient setting?
- A. Increased pharmacy inventory costs
- B. Reduced medication errors due to improved legibility and standardized formats
- C. Elimination of the need for pharmacist verification
- D. Decreased patient access to medication information
Answer: B. Reduced medication errors due to improved legibility and standardized formats
2. Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) integrated into EHRs or pharmacy systems often provide alerts for:
- A. Patient appointment reminders only
- B. Drug-drug interactions, drug-allergy interactions, and incorrect dosing
- C. Pharmacy staff scheduling
- D. Billing and insurance claim submissions only
Answer: B. Drug-drug interactions, drug-allergy interactions, and incorrect dosing
3. What is a common challenge associated with Clinical Decision Support Systems (CDSS) in busy outpatient practices?
- A. Lack of available clinical information
- B. Alert fatigue, leading to clinicians overriding important warnings
- C. Inability to integrate with e-Prescribing systems
- D. Excessive cost for basic features
Answer: B. Alert fatigue, leading to clinicians overriding important warnings
4. Patient portals in an outpatient setting commonly allow patients to perform which medication-related task?
- A. Directly dispense their own medications
- B. View their current medication list and request prescription refills
- C. Modify their prescribed dosages without consultation
- D. Access an entire pharmacy’s controlled substance inventory
Answer: B. View their current medication list and request prescription refills
5. The SCRIPT standard, developed by NCPDP, is primarily associated with which HIT function?
- A. Laboratory data exchange
- B. Electronic transmission of prescription information between prescribers and pharmacies (e-Prescribing)
- C. Patient scheduling
- D. Imaging results viewing
Answer: B. Electronic transmission of prescription information between prescribers and pharmacies (e-Prescribing)
6. How can Health Information Technology (HIT) support medication reconciliation in outpatient settings, especially during transitions of care?
- A. By automatically discontinuing all previous medications
- B. By providing access to more comprehensive medication histories from various sources
- C. By eliminating the need for patient interviews regarding medications
- D. By restricting access to past medication records to prevent confusion
Answer: B. By providing access to more comprehensive medication histories from various sources
7. Mobile health (mHealth) applications can support outpatient drug use by:
- A. Replacing the need for pharmacists
- B. Providing medication reminders, adherence tracking, and educational resources
- C. Ensuring all medications are delivered by drone
- D. Automatically adjusting prescription dosages based on patient-reported symptoms
Answer: B. Providing medication reminders, adherence tracking, and educational resources
8. What is a key function of a Pharmacy Management System (PMS) in an outpatient pharmacy?
- A. Diagnosing patient conditions
- B. Processing prescriptions, managing inventory, and handling billing
- C. Conducting clinical trials
- D. Manufacturing medications on-site
Answer: B. Processing prescriptions, managing inventory, and handling billing
9. Electronic Prescribing of Controlled Substances (EPCS) requires robust security measures, including:
- A. Single-factor authentication for prescribers
- B. Two-factor authentication for prescribers and certified software
- C. Storing prescription data on publicly accessible servers
- D. Allowing any staff member to transmit controlled substance prescriptions
Answer: B. Two-factor authentication for prescribers and certified software
10. The term “interoperability” in HIT refers to the ability of:
- A. A single software system to perform all healthcare functions
- B. Different information systems, devices, and applications to access, exchange, integrate, and cooperatively use data
- C. Patients to operate complex medical equipment without training
- D. All healthcare providers to use the exact same EHR system
Answer: B. Different information systems, devices, and applications to access, exchange, integrate, and cooperatively use data
11. Which of the following is a major benefit of using HIT for Prescription Drug Monitoring Programs (PDMPs) in outpatient care?
- A. Increasing the prescribing of controlled substances
- B. Helping prescribers and pharmacists identify patients at risk for opioid misuse or diversion
- C. Eliminating the need for patient identification at the pharmacy
- D. Restricting access to pain medication for all patients
Answer: B. Helping prescribers and pharmacists identify patients at risk for opioid misuse or diversion
12. Formulary and benefit information integrated into an e-Prescribing system can help prescribers by:
- A. Forcing them to choose the most expensive medication
- B. Identifying medications covered by the patient’s insurance plan and suggesting lower-cost alternatives
- C. Blocking the prescribing of all generic medications
- D. Automatically enrolling patients in drug discount programs without their consent
Answer: B. Identifying medications covered by the patient’s insurance plan and suggesting lower-cost alternatives
13. What does HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) primarily address in the context of HIT?
- A. The cost of healthcare software
- B. The usability of electronic health records
- C. The privacy and security of Protected Health Information (PHI)
- D. The speed of internet connections in healthcare facilities
Answer: C. The privacy and security of Protected Health Information (PHI)
14. How can HIT facilitate pharmacist-led Medication Therapy Management (MTM) services in an outpatient setting?
- A. By preventing pharmacists from accessing patient medication lists
- B. By providing tools for comprehensive medication review, identifying drug therapy problems, and documenting interventions
- C. By limiting communication between pharmacists and prescribers
- D. By automating all clinical decision-making, removing the need for pharmacist judgment
Answer: B. By providing tools for comprehensive medication review, identifying drug therapy problems, and documenting interventions
15. “Meaningful Use” (now part of the Promoting Interoperability Programs) was a set of objectives established to incentivize:
- A. The reduction of healthcare costs by limiting technology adoption
- B. The adoption and effective use of certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology
- C. The use of paper-based record keeping for better security
- D. The exclusive use of proprietary software in healthcare
Answer: B. The adoption and effective use of certified Electronic Health Record (EHR) technology
16. Which HIT feature can automatically check for therapeutic duplications when a new medication is prescribed for an outpatient?
- A. Patient scheduling module
- B. Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS)
- C. Inventory management system
- D. Billing module
Answer: B. Clinical Decision Support System (CDSS)
17. Telepharmacy leverages HIT to provide pharmaceutical care to patients in which type of outpatient settings?
- A. Only large urban hospitals
- B. Remote or underserved areas where on-site pharmacist access is limited
- C. Exclusively for veterinary medicine
- D. Only within the same building as the main pharmacy
Answer: B. Remote or underserved areas where on-site pharmacist access is limited
18. Barcode medication administration (BCMA) is more commonly associated with inpatient settings, but similar barcode scanning in outpatient pharmacies can improve safety during:
- A. Patient counseling
- B. The dispensing process to verify the correct drug and strength
- C. Compounding of non-sterile products
- D. Ordering medications from wholesalers
Answer: B. The dispensing process to verify the correct drug and strength
19. How can HIT be used to support medication adherence for outpatients?
- A. By making medications more expensive
- B. Through automated refill reminders, mHealth apps for tracking, and communication tools for follow-up
- C. By restricting patients’ access to their medication information
- D. By eliminating the need for patients to actively manage their medications
Answer: B. Through automated refill reminders, mHealth apps for tracking, and communication tools for follow-up
20. A key advantage of integrating pharmacogenomic data into an EHR and CDSS for outpatient prescribing is the ability to:
- A. Guarantee 100% medication efficacy for all patients
- B. Personalize drug selection and dosing to potentially improve efficacy and reduce adverse drug events based on a patient’s genetic makeup
- C. Eliminate the need for therapeutic drug monitoring
- D. Prescribe genetic tests for all common illnesses
Answer: B. Personalize drug selection and dosing to potentially improve efficacy and reduce adverse drug events based on a patient’s genetic makeup
21. Which standard is commonly used for exchanging clinical and administrative data between software applications in healthcare, including medication information?
- A. HTML (HyperText Markup Language)
- B. HL7 (Health Level Seven)
- C. SQL (Structured Query Language)
- D. PDF (Portable Document Format)
Answer: B. HL7 (Health Level Seven)
22. “Computerized Physician Order Entry” (CPOE) in an outpatient clinic setting primarily aims to:
- A. Increase the use of handwritten prescriptions
- B. Allow physicians to directly enter medication orders into an electronic system, reducing transcription errors
- C. Restrict ordering capabilities to pharmacists only
- D. Replace EHR systems entirely
Answer: B. Allow physicians to directly enter medication orders into an electronic system, reducing transcription errors
23. One of the main purposes of a DUR (Drug Utilization Review) alert within a pharmacy dispensing system is to:
- A. Inform the pharmacist about a new drug’s market price
- B. Identify potential drug therapy problems such as interactions, incorrect dosage, or clinical misuse before dispensing
- C. Track pharmacist productivity
- D. Automatically authorize prescription refills
Answer: B. Identify potential drug therapy problems such as interactions, incorrect dosage, or clinical misuse before dispensing
24. Which of the following represents a security best practice for HIT systems in an outpatient pharmacy to comply with HIPAA?
- A. Using a shared login and password for all pharmacy staff
- B. Implementing role-based access controls and regular password changes
- C. Leaving workstations logged in when unattended for quick access
- D. Storing unencrypted patient data on portable USB drives
Answer: B. Implementing role-based access controls and regular password changes
25. How can data analytics derived from outpatient pharmacy HIT systems be used for population health management?
- A. To market specific drugs to individual patients
- B. To identify patient populations at risk for medication-related problems or non-adherence and implement targeted interventions
- C. To determine the most profitable medications to stock
- D. To restrict access to care for high-cost patients
Answer: B. To identify patient populations at risk for medication-related problems or non-adherence and implement targeted interventions
26. What is a potential challenge of relying solely on HIT for medication history?
- A. HIT systems always provide 100% complete and accurate data.
- B. Data may be fragmented across different systems if interoperability is poor, or may not include over-the-counter or herbal medications.
- C. HIT systems eliminate the need for pharmacists to counsel patients.
- D. Patients usually prefer not to have their medication history stored electronically.
Answer: B. Data may be fragmented across different systems if interoperability is poor, or may not include over-the-counter or herbal medications.
27. “Alert fatigue” can be mitigated in CDSS by:
- A. Increasing the number of alerts generated
- B. Making all alerts non-interruptive and easily ignored
- C. Customizing alerts to be more specific, relevant, and tiered by severity
- D. Disabling the CDSS entirely
Answer: C. Customizing alerts to be more specific, relevant, and tiered by severity
28. How does e-Prescribing contribute to improved workflow efficiency in an outpatient pharmacy?
- A. By increasing the number of phone calls needed for clarification
- B. By reducing data entry time and minimizing issues related to illegible handwriting
- C. By requiring pharmacists to manually enter all prescription data from faxes
- D. By making it harder to check for formulary compliance
Answer: B. By reducing data entry time and minimizing issues related to illegible handwriting
29. A “digital divide” can be a barrier to the effective use of certain HIT tools (like patient portals or mHealth apps) for outpatient drug use. This refers to:
- A. The difference in software versions between clinic and pharmacy
- B. Disparities in access to technology and digital literacy among different patient populations
- C. The physical separation between the patient and the pharmacy
- D. A software incompatibility between EHR and PMS systems
Answer: B. Disparities in access to technology and digital literacy among different patient populations
30. Which information is critical to be included and accurately documented in an outpatient EHR to support safe medication prescribing?
- A. Patient’s favorite color
- B. A comprehensive list of patient allergies and adverse drug reactions
- C. The pharmacist’s home address
- D. The pharmacy’s daily sales figures
Answer: B. A comprehensive list of patient allergies and adverse drug reactions
31. FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a newer standard designed to improve interoperability by:
- A. Using complex, proprietary data formats
- B. Focusing on exchanging large, monolithic documents only
- C. Using modern web standards to allow for more granular and flexible data exchange
- D. Replacing all existing EHR systems with a single national system
Answer: C. Using modern web standards to allow for more granular and flexible data exchange
32. A medication dashboard within an EHR can provide prescribers with a quick overview of:
- A. The pharmacy’s stock levels for all medications
- B. A patient’s current medications, adherence patterns, and recent lab results relevant to drug therapy
- C. The latest pharmaceutical company advertisements
- D. The personal contact information of all pharmacists in the area
Answer: B. A patient’s current medications, adherence patterns, and recent lab results relevant to drug therapy
33. How can HIT support the documentation and billing for cognitive pharmacy services like MTM in an outpatient setting?
- A. By preventing documentation of these services
- B. Through structured templates for documenting interventions, time spent, and generating claims
- C. By automatically denying all claims for MTM services
- D. By requiring all MTM documentation to be paper-based
Answer: B. Through structured templates for documenting interventions, time spent, and generating claims
34. One goal of integrating PDMP data directly into EHR/PMS workflow is to:
- A. Increase the burden on prescribers by requiring them to log into separate systems
- B. Make it easier and more routine for prescribers and pharmacists to check PDMP data before prescribing or dispensing controlled substances
- C. Restrict PDMP access to law enforcement only
- D. Store PDMP data indefinitely on local pharmacy servers
Answer: B. Make it easier and more routine for prescribers and pharmacists to check PDMP data before prescribing or dispensing controlled substances
35. Which type of CDSS alert would warn a prescriber if they attempt to prescribe a medication to which the patient has a documented allergy?
- A. Drug-laboratory interaction alert
- B. Therapeutic duplication alert
- C. Drug-allergy interaction alert
- D. Dose range checking alert
Answer: C. Drug-allergy interaction alert
36. The use of standardized terminologies (e.g., RxNorm for medications, SNOMED CT for clinical findings) in HIT systems is crucial for:
- A. Ensuring that systems are difficult to use
- B. Promoting semantic interoperability and accurate data exchange
- C. Increasing the variety of free-text entries
- D. Limiting the number of drugs that can be prescribed electronically
Answer: B. Promoting semantic interoperability and accurate data exchange
37. A “closed-loop” medication management system, often supported by HIT, aims to:
- A. Increase the number of steps in the medication process
- B. Ensure continuous electronic tracking and verification of medication ordering, dispensing, and administration
- C. Limit medication access to only physicians
- D. Keep all medication information within a single, isolated pharmacy
Answer: B. Ensure continuous electronic tracking and verification of medication ordering, dispensing, and administration
38. Which of the following is a key consideration when implementing a new HIT system in an outpatient pharmacy to support drug use?
- A. Minimizing staff training to save costs
- B. Ensuring the system does not integrate with any other systems to maintain data security
- C. Adequate staff training, workflow redesign, and ongoing technical support
- D. Choosing the system with the most complex user interface
Answer: C. Adequate staff training, workflow redesign, and ongoing technical support
39. How can HIT systems help in identifying candidates for deprescribing in outpatient settings?
- A. By automatically adding more medications to a patient’s profile
- B. By flagging patients on potentially inappropriate medications based on age, renal function, or polypharmacy criteria
- C. By preventing prescribers from discontinuing any medication
- D. By deleting medication histories after one year
Answer: B. By flagging patients on potentially inappropriate medications based on age, renal function, or polypharmacy criteria
40. An audit trail in an EHR or pharmacy system is an important security feature that:
- A. Predicts future medication errors
- B. Records who accessed or modified patient information and when
- C. Automatically corrects prescribing errors
- D. Deletes old patient records to save space
Answer: B. Records who accessed or modified patient information and when
41. The use of “smart pumps” for infusions, while more common inpatient, has outpatient applications (e.g., home infusion). HIT integration with these pumps can:
- A. Increase the risk of programming errors
- B. Utilize drug libraries with predefined dosing limits to prevent errors
- C. Only be used for saline solutions
- D. Eliminate the need for pharmacist oversight in home infusion
Answer: B. Utilize drug libraries with predefined dosing limits to prevent errors
42. Pharmacist access to outpatient EHRs from affiliated clinics can significantly improve care by:
- A. Allowing pharmacists to change diagnoses made by physicians
- B. Providing a more complete picture of the patient’s medical history, lab results, and rationale for prescriptions
- C. Increasing the number of unnecessary calls to prescribers
- D. Enabling pharmacists to prescribe new medications independently in all states
Answer: B. Providing a more complete picture of the patient’s medical history, lab results, and rationale for prescriptions
43. One challenge of implementing mHealth apps for medication management is:
- A. Their universal compatibility with all EHR systems
- B. Ensuring data privacy, security, and accuracy, and addressing lack of regulation for some apps
- C. Their extremely high cost for basic reminder functions
- D. The fact that they always lead to perfect adherence
Answer: B. Ensuring data privacy, security, and accuracy, and addressing lack of regulation for some apps
44. A key component of an e-Prescribing system that verifies a patient’s insurance coverage and medication benefits in real-time at the point of care is called:
- A. Real-Time Benefit Check (RTBC) or Real-Time Prescription Benefit (RTPB)
- B. Electronic Prior Authorization (ePA)
- C. Therapeutic Duplication Check
- D. Drug Utilization Review (DUR)
Answer: A. Real-Time Benefit Check (RTBC) or Real-Time Prescription Benefit (RTPB)
45. How can HIT be used to support value-based care models in outpatient pharmacy practice?
- A. By focusing solely on dispensing the cheapest medications regardless of outcome
- B. By tracking patient outcomes, adherence rates, and quality measures related to medication use
- C. By increasing the volume of prescriptions dispensed without regard to appropriateness
- D. By limiting patient access to pharmacist consultations
Answer: B. By tracking patient outcomes, adherence rates, and quality measures related to medication use
46. The “digital front door” in healthcare, often supported by HIT, refers to:
- A. The main entrance of a hospital
- B. How patients initially access and navigate healthcare services using technology (e.g., online scheduling, virtual visits, patient portals)
- C. A secure room where paper records are stored
- D. The pharmacy’s dispensing counter
Answer: B. How patients initially access and navigate healthcare services using technology (e.g., online scheduling, virtual visits, patient portals)
47. One way HIT supports antimicrobial stewardship in outpatient settings is by:
- A. Promoting the use of broad-spectrum antibiotics for all infections
- B. Providing CDSS for appropriate antibiotic selection, dose, and duration based on guidelines and local resistance patterns
- C. Eliminating the need for cultures and sensitivity testing
- D. Preventing the prescribing of all antibiotics
Answer: B. Providing CDSS for appropriate antibiotic selection, dose, and duration based on guidelines and local resistance patterns
48. For outpatient medication adherence, “gamification” in mHealth apps involves:
- A. Making the app difficult to use to test patient resolve
- B. Incorporating game-like elements (points, badges, leaderboards) to motivate users to take medications as prescribed
- C. Playing video games instead of taking medication
- D. Automatically notifying the patient’s employer of non-adherence
Answer: B. Incorporating game-like elements (points, badges, leaderboards) to motivate users to take medications as prescribed
49. A significant barrier to widespread interoperability in healthcare HIT is:
- A. The lack of any data exchange standards
- B. The universal adoption of a single EHR system by all providers
- C. Varying data standards, lack of incentives, and concerns over data security and proprietary interests
- D. The high speed of internet connections
Answer: C. Varying data standards, lack of incentives, and concerns over data security and proprietary interests
50. HIT systems that generate automated reports on high-risk medication use in an outpatient population can help pharmacists to:
- A. Focus only on low-risk patients
- B. Prioritize patients for MTM interventions or consultations with prescribers
- C. Increase the prescribing of high-risk medications
- D. Avoid communicating with prescribers about medication concerns
Answer: B. Prioritize patients for MTM interventions or consultations with prescribers