This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
The CAHIMS Exam Preparation Course
and the CAHIMS exam are the result of
collaboration between the Life Science
Informatics Center at Bellevue College
and the Healthcare Information and
Management Systems Society (HIMSS).
Significant content found in the CAHIMS
Exam Preparation Course stems from the
Office of the National Coordinator for
Health Information Technology. Creation
of the CAHIMS Exam Preparation Course
and the CAHIMS exam was made
possible through support from the National
Science Foundation (NSF).
Curriculum Team:
Margaret Schulte, DBA
Michèle Royer, PhD
Nathan Savage, MLIS
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Section 9 - Professionalism and Communication Skills
Lesson 9.2 - Teams and Team Building
Assessment Questions Answer Key
Lectures 1 & 2
1. Care coordination __________.
a. only refers to transitions from hospital to community-based care and vice versa
b. can occur in the absence of clinical integration
c. is most important for patients with acute conditions
*d. has been identified as the top priority for national action
Answer. d. Care coordination was identified as the number 1 priority for national
action in the 2003 Institute of Medicine consensus report on priorities necessary
to transform health care quality.
Lecture/Slide: 1/3
2. Which of the following is not an example of a transition of care?
a. provider-to-provider (within facility)
b. discharge to home
*c. change in patient room without change in providers
d. care area to care area (within facility)
Answer. c. Transitions of care occur when there are changes in providers,
physical moves of the patient from one unit or facility to another, or when the
responsibility for patient care changes from one clinical service to another.
Lecture/Slide: 1/5
3. Hand-offs __________.
a. are rarely the cause of medical error
b. have decreased with reduced resident duty hours
c. are not necessary for temporary coverage during lunch breaks
*d. are transfers of care from one provider to another provider
Answer. d. Hand-offs are transfers of care from one provider to another. They are
often vulnerable to communication failure, and, as such, have been found to be
associated with medical error. Decreased residency duty hours result in an
increase in hand-offs, thus increasing risk. Any time care is transitioned from one
provider to another, even when only for short periods, requires a hand-off.
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 1
Lecture/Slide: 1/5-9
4. Studies show that which of the following is true about most hospital
discharges?
*a. Direct communication between hospital and primary care providers is low.
b. The availability of discharge summaries is high four weeks post-discharge.
c. The primary mode of communication to post-discharge providers is by
telephone.
d. Discharge summaries usually provide the primary provider with the information
needed to effectively care for the patient.
Answer. a. Researchers have examined deficits in communication and
information transfer at hospital discharge and found that direct communication
between hospital physicians and primary care providers occurred only 3-20% of
the time.
Lecture/Slide: 1/10
5. A technique that examines relations among providers and looks to see patterns
among groups to inform information technology decision making is __________.
a. contact exchange
b. group process
c. systems analysis
*d. social network analysis
Answer. d. Social network analysis can be helpful to examine patterns of
interactions among health care providers to identify opinion leaders who are
critical to the success of information technology adoption.
Lecture/Slide: 2/8, 9
6. Which of the following is an example of a social function meaning to a speech
act?
a. “It’s hot in here” means “The temperature is too warm for my taste.”
*b. “It’s crowded in here” means “I want to leave.”
c. “The knife is dull” means “the blade of the knife is blunt.”
d. “The computer is slow” means “The processing time is less than the standard.”
Answer. b. The social function meaning of speech is when someone says one
thing, but is really hinting at something else.
Lecture/Slide: 2/11
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 2
Lectures 3 & 4
7. The use of teams is a means by which organizations can become “flatter.”
Which of the following is an explanation of this phenomenon?
a. Teams iron out problems within the organization, therefore upper level
management isn’t needed for most tasks.
b. Teams negate competition between organizations by creating a cooperative
atmosphere.
*c. Teams eliminate the use of middle management and give more power to an
organization’s employees.
d. Teams tend to decrease the productivity of an organization and therefore
lower its ability to compete.
Answer: c. Teams eliminate the use of middle management and give more
power to an organization’s employees.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 3/3
8. According to the lecture, which option represents the key difference between
teams and groups?
a. The caliber of communication skills needed for individuals
*b. The accountability and production of individuals and the collective body
c. The level of outside resources needed to produce the desired goal
d. The managerial philosophies
Answer: b. The accountability and production of individuals and the collective
body
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 3/11
9. Documentation is essential in all EXCEPT:
a. Clarifying goals
b. Defining Roles
c. Effective decision making
*d. Creating a positive atmosphere
Answer: d. Creating a positive atmosphere
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 3/20-23
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 3
10. Manager Margaret is having problems with “he said, she said” statements
within her team. The team has changed their work goals three times and now
roles are misunderstood. Which option would most likely have prevented
Manager Margaret’s problems?
a. Conducting the initial meeting as a stress free social event that included
completion of personality profiles
b. Discussing goals, roles, and procedures more thoroughly from the beginning
c. Continuously communicating the value of each person’s perspective
*d. Documenting all communications pertinent to the project’s progress
Answer: d. Documenting all communications pertinent to the project’s progress
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 3/20-22
11. According to the lecture, which option best defines GroupThink?
a. Giving each team member’s suggestion or idea at least five minutes of
affirmation and consideration
b. Brainstorming ideas within a virtual team
c. Analyzing a group’s consensus against the team’s objectives and goals
*d. Restricting conflicting ideas that result in minimized teamwork
Answer: d. Restricting conflicting ideas that result in minimized teamwork
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 4/11
Lectures 5 & 6
12. A team is defined as a small number of people with complementary skills who
are committed to:
a. common purpose
b. performance
c. goals
d. approach
*e. all of the above
Answer: e. all of the above.
Lecture(s)/Slide(s):5/7
13. Which of the following is not an important feature of team members?
a. communication
*b. non-integrated tasks
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 4
c. coordination
d. distinctive roles
e. shared norms
Answer: b. non-integrated tasks
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 5/7
14. Teams can be viewed as a three-stage system that includes all but which of
the follow?
a. input – resources teams use
b. throughput – care of internal processes
*c. calculation – summing individual efforts
d. output – production of specific products
Answer: c. calculation – summing individual efforts
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 5/9
15. Characteristics of effective teamwork include all but which of the following?
*a. non-focused groups
b. organizational structure
c. individual contribution
d. team processes
Answer: a. non-focused groups
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 5/11
16. At a minimum, individual participation in teams requires which of the
following?
a. self-knowledge
b. trust
c. commitment
d. flexibility
*e. all of the above
Answer: e. all of the above
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/10
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 5
17. Performance feedback should include all but which of the following?
a. provide timely and accurate information
*b. focus on the past
c. use open communication channels
d. target team performance
e. focus on the future
Answer: b. focus on the past
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/21
18. What can exist in health care environments due to clinical responsibilities,
training needs, and issues of patient safety and confidentiality?
*a. potential for conflict
b. clear path to large profits
c. simple action plans for team activity
d. little need for leadership
Answer: a. potential for conflict
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 6/6-8
Lecture 7
19. Which of the following is NOT true?
a. Teams can do much more with technology support.
b. Team members have greater responsibility because more information is
available to them.
*c. Teams should start with the technology before finding ways to use it.
d. Teams should always keep goals in clear view and use tools to help reach
them.
Answer: c. Teams should start with the technology before finding ways to use it.
Lecture/Slides: 7/3
20. Signal types include all BUT which of the following?
*a. Blackberry
b. WiFi
c. 3G
d. 4G
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 6
Answer: a. Blackberry
Lecture/Slides: 7/6
21. Examples of tools for interaction that are asynchronous are all BUT which of
the following?
a. Basecamp
b. Sharepoint
c. Confluence
*d. GoToMeeting
Answer: d. GoToMeeting
Lecture/Slides: 7/8
22. Which of the following is mainly used as a tool for synchronous
collaboration?
*a. Adobe Connect
b. Sharepoint
c. Basecamp
d. Sharepoint
Answer: a. Adobe Connect
Lecture/Slides: 7/8
23. Tools for collaborative document development include all BUT which of the
following?
a. Socialtext
b. Kablink
*c. WritePerfect
d. Colaab
Answer: c. WritePerfect
Lecture/Slides: 7/9-14
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 7
24. All BUT which of the following is true of tools for collaborative document
development?
*a. provides no real impact on HIT processes
b. paper trails are replaced by immediate and permanent records
c. some people are initially discomforted by these tools
d. commitment is typically required from senior management
Answer: a. Provides no real impact on HIT processes
Lecture/Slides: 7/9-14
25. Teams that demonstrate high ability to share resources and information will
most likely meet all BUT which of the following?
a. produce a greater number of creative ideas
b. provide higher quality decisions
*c. consider less information
d. offset personal bias
Answer: c. consider less information
Lecture/Slides: 7/12
Lecture 8
26. High performance is described by all BUT which of the following statements?
a. not a destination, but a goal to experience
*b. arrival is permanent, once achieved the team is there for good
c. preparation is key
d. will push the limits on team effectiveness
Answer: b. arrival is permanent, once achieved the team is there for good
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 8/4
27. High- performance teams exhibit all dimensions EXCEPT which of the
following?
*a. tend to be built by the boss
b. are developed by each and every team member working together
c. require high levels of individual commitment to tasks
d. all members have share in controlling the team
Answer: a. tend to be built by the boss
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 8
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 8/4-6
28. The value of the phrase to, “put your eggs in one basket,” regarding high
performance teams is best classified by which of the following statements?
a. all resources should be gathered in a single space
b. team members should always put their heads together when working on a
task
c. teams should develop one, “catchment,” area for all decisions
*d. teams should deal with challenges in a way that is unique and not follow the
routine or processes of other teams
Answer: d. teams should deal with challenges in a way that is unique and not
follow the routine or processes of other teams
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 8/10
29. One way to insure that teams enhance their ability to perform is to do which of
the following?
*a. invite constructive feedback and feedforward from team members
b. attempt to remain in the “forming” stage of team development as long as
possible
c. protect other team members from bad news
d. always say “yes” to whatever the boss wants to hear
Answer: a. invite constructive feedback and feedforward from team members
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 8/8
30. Significant impact can be made on the success of a high performance team by
doing which of the following?
a. spend 95 percent of your work week designing and assessing performance on
team ground rules and action plans
b. spend 50 percent of your work week designing and assessing performance on
team ground rules and action plans
*c. spend 3 percent of your work week designing and assessing performance on
team ground rules and action plans
d. spend no time designing and assessing performance on team ground rules
and action plans
Answer: c. spend 3 percent of your work week designing performance on team
ground rules and action plans
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 9
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 8/11
31. High-performance teams require a structure that includes all BUT which of the
following?
a. clear purpose
b. specified tasks
c. distinct roles
*d. no leadership
Answer: d. no leadership
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 8/13
32. Because leadership is shared in high-performance teams, individual members
must contribute in all BUT which of the following areas?
a. self knowledge
*b. ego
c. trust
d. commitment
e. flexibility
Answer: b. ego
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 8/8-11
33. Although the experience of high performance can be somewhat brief,
sustaining high performance is possible by targeting all BUT which of the
following activities?
a. develop a compelling saga
b. don’t allow tools to run the team
c. build partnerships
*d. seek arrogance
e. engage in ultra preparation
Answer: d. seek arrogance
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 8/4-7
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 10
Lecture 9
34. True cohesive teams demonstrate which of the following?
a. They trust one another.
b. They engage in unfiltered conflict around ideas.
c. Hold each other accountable for delivering against those plans.
*d. All of the above
Answer: d. All of the above
Lecture/Slides: 9/11
35. All of the following are strategies to manage dysfunctional teams EXCEPT
__________.
a. Listen intently.
*b. Avoid stating your observations with specific examples, this could be
offensive.
c. Create a safe discussion space.
d. Collaborate on the best solutions.
Answer: b. Avoid stating your observations with specific examples, this could be
offensive
Lecture/Slides: 9/23
36. To crystallize the underlying problems when you are dealing with
dysfunctional teams, you could __________.
a. Name the real problems that are causing the behavior.
b. Ask someone who is not part of your team to interview team members in
confidence.
c. Try a web conference tool to enable anonymous input.
*d. All of the above
Answer: d. All of the above
Lecture/Slides: 9/23
37. Teams that are lacking trust are incapable of engaging in unfiltered,
passionate debate about key issues.
*a. True
b. False
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 11
Answer: a. True
Lecture/Slides: 9/8
Lectures 10 & 11
38. Which of the following best defines conflict?
a. A disruption between two parties due to personality differences
b. A situation that causes stress but is beneficial for progress
*c. A perceived disagreement due to do social interaction resulting in
uncooperativeness
d. Underlying opposing viewpoints that break down communications within
social groups
Answer: c. A perceived disagreement due to do social interaction resulting in
uncooperativeness
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 10/3
39. According to the lecture, which of the following options best describes
cooperativeness?
a. Not answering emails and calls concerning a debated issue
b. Threatening to alert influential stakeholders if desires are not met
*c. Conducting surveys, meetings, and follow-up visits to improve participants’
satisfaction
d. Working together to produce a collective objective
Answer: c. Conducting surveys, meetings, and follow-up visits to improve
participants’ satisfaction
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 11/4-9
40. According to the lecture, which operation is best when responding to high
pressured questions and challenges?
a. Assure the party of your expertise and ability to bring about a satisfactory
solution
b. Direct the party to available resources for their investigation of answers to their
questions
*c. Respond with factual information and not speculation
d. Ask the party what measures they have taken to learn answers and overcome
challenges
Answer: c. Respond with factual information and not speculation
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 12
Lecture(s)/Slide(s): 11/14
This work is funded by the National Science Foundation
Advanced Technological Education Grant 1003223
Page 13