AHPC Licensure Examination — Health Information

Sample Health Information practice questions

Try these 12 questions from different topics. Open "Show answer" to check yourself and read the explanation.

1. Question 1 · Clinical Coding & Classification

   What is a principal purpose of ICD-11?

   1. A.Replacing every clinical note with a billing total
   2. B.Standardized recording, reporting and comparison of morbidity and mortality information
   3. C.Assigning treatment without clinical judgment
   4. D.Removing the need for data validation
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Standardized recording, reporting and comparison of morbidity and mortality information

   ICD-11 provides a globally governed classification framework for consistent health information.

2. Question 2 · Patient Identity, Privacy & Records

   Two records appear to belong to the same patient but contain different identifiers. What is the safest action?

   1. A.Merge them based on name alone
   2. B.Delete both records immediately
   3. C.Follow the identity-resolution procedure and preserve an auditable record of any correction
   4. D.Copy one identifier into every patient file
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   Answer: C. Follow the identity-resolution procedure and preserve an auditable record of any correction

   Identity discrepancies require controlled verification because an incorrect merge can cause serious clinical harm.

3. Question 3 · Data Quality & Interoperability

   A monthly report total differs from the underlying register. What should the information officer do first?

   1. A.Alter the source register to match the report
   2. B.Average the two totals without checking
   3. C.Publish both as equally correct
   4. D.Reconcile the source data, definitions and aggregation with an audit trail
   Show answer

   Answer: D. Reconcile the source data, definitions and aggregation with an audit trail

   Data-quality work should trace discrepancies to source, definition or processing errors and document corrections.

4. Question 4 · Mortality Coding & Death Certification

   On the WHO medical certificate of cause of death, the underlying cause of death is entered:

   1. A.On the first line of Part I, as the condition directly causing death
   2. B.In Part II only
   3. C.On the lowest used line of Part I
   4. D.Nowhere, as it is calculated later
   Show answer

   Answer: C. On the lowest used line of Part I

   Part I is a sequence from the immediate cause (line a) back to the underlying cause on the lowest line.

5. Question 5 · Clinical Documentation & Professional Practice

   Health information professionals in Ghana are regulated by:

   1. A.The Medical and Dental Council, which also registers doctors and dentists
   2. B.The Data Protection Commission
   3. C.The Allied Health Professions Council
   4. D.The Ghana Statistical Service
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   Answer: C. The Allied Health Professions Council

   Health information is one of the allied health professions under Act 857.

6. Question 6 · Record Systems, Numbering & Filing

   In a unit numbering system, a patient:

   1. A.Receives a new number at every visit, which is filed in the order of attendance
   2. B.Receives a number only when admitted
   3. C.Shares a number with family members
   4. D.Keeps the same single number for all visits and admissions
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   Answer: D. Keeps the same single number for all visits and admissions

   Unit numbering keeps all of a patient's information together in one record.

7. Question 7 · Record Retention, Release & Security

   The main law protecting personal data, including health records, in Ghana is the:

   1. A.Public Health Act, 2012 (Act 851), which deals with communicable disease control
   2. B.Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843)
   3. C.Labour Act, 2003 (Act 651)
   4. D.National Health Insurance Act, 2012 (Act 852)
   Show answer

   Answer: B. Data Protection Act, 2012 (Act 843)

   Act 843 established the Data Protection Commission and sets principles for processing personal data.

8. Question 8 · Hospital Statistics

   A 50-bed ward had 1,200 inpatient days in a 30-day month. The bed occupancy rate was:

   1. A.40%, calculated as inpatient days divided by twice the number of beds
   2. B.120%
   3. C.24%
   4. D.80%
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   Answer: D. 80%

   BOR = 1,200 ÷ (50 × 30) × 100 = 1,200 ÷ 1,500 × 100 = 80%.

9. Question 9 · Vital & Descriptive Statistics

   The crude birth rate is the number of live births per:

   1. A.100 women of reproductive age in the district in one year
   2. B.1,000 mid-year population in a year
   3. C.1,000 pregnant women
   4. D.100,000 population
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   Answer: B. 1,000 mid-year population in a year

   It is a basic indicator of population growth.

10. Question 10 · Epidemiological Measures

    Prevalence differs from incidence because prevalence measures:

    1. A.All existing cases at a point or period in time
    2. B.Only new cases arising during a period of time
    3. C.Deaths from the disease during one year only
    4. D.The speed at which a disease spreads between people
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    Answer: A. All existing cases at a point or period in time

    Prevalence counts existing cases (old and new); incidence counts only new cases among those at risk.

11. Question 11 · Study Designs & Screening

    Which study design provides the strongest evidence that an intervention causes an outcome?

    1. A.Cross-sectional survey
    2. B.Randomised controlled trial
    3. C.Case series report
    4. D.Ecological comparison
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    Answer: B. Randomised controlled trial

    Randomisation balances known and unknown confounders between groups, so differences can be attributed to the intervention.

12. Question 12 · Prefixes, Suffixes & Common Terms

    The suffix "-itis" means:

    1. A.Surgical removal of an organ or part of an organ
    2. B.Pain
    3. C.Enlargement
    4. D.Inflammation
    Show answer

    Answer: D. Inflammation

    Appendicitis is inflammation of the appendix; "-ectomy" means removal.