This activity consists of two problems.
Problem One
Dr. Raymond Hill, Director of Surgery, for Forest Medical Center in Lake Park, Illinois, received some recent statistics concerning data on the surgeries performed in his center during 2019. He was somewhat surprised to see the high number of what is classified as “late surgeries.” He has asked you, a quality analyst, to examine this data.
He requests the following items from you:
1. Create a scatter plot in Excel of the number of late surgeries versus the overall number of surgeries.
2. Create a run chart in Excel for the number of late surgeries and a run chart for the overall number of surgeries for 2019.
3. Create separate control charts in Excel for the number of late surgeries and the overall number of surgeries with a 95% confidence level. Show all calculations that you use to arrive at these control charts.
4. In a Word document, draw two conclusions regarding these three analyses regarding the late surgeries at Forest Medical Center.
Late Surgeries versus Overall Surgeries
Month Number of Surgeries Number of Late Surgeries
January 435 112
February 401 129
March 572 186
April 409 103
May 577 89
June 329 156
July 467 156
August 301 94
September 235 89
October 325 127
November 378 156
December 444 124
Total 4873 1432
Problem Two
Dr. Amanda Guzik, head of infectious diseases for Forest Medical Center in Lake Park Illinois, asks you to analyze the following influenza data that she has collected over five years from cases that were treated at this medical center.
1. Use Excel to create a run chart for the data.
2. Use Excel to create a control chart with a 95% confidence level for this data. Include the mean, the LCL, and the UCL. Show all calculations that you use to arrive at these control charts.
3. In a Word document, draw two conclusions from these charts regarding the influenza cases that the Forest Medical Center had treated.
Submit Word document(s) and Excel file(s) showing your responses and calculations.
Influenza Data by Quarter
Year Quarter # of Cases of Influenza Observed
1 1 3452
1 2 346
1 3 483
1 4 3984
2 1 4120
2 2 376
2 3 429
2 4 3583
3 1 4219
3 2 385
3 3 392
3 4 3614
4 1 3568
4 2 439
4 3 326
4 4 4103
5 1 4209
5 2 396
5 3 411
5 4 4008
struggling with where to start this assignment? Follow this guide to tackle your assignment easily!
Step-by-Step Guide for Completing the Data Analysis Problems
This guide will help you successfully complete the two data analysis problems using Excel and Word by creating scatter plots, run charts, and control charts with 95% confidence limits, and drawing meaningful conclusions.
Problem One: Analyzing Surgery Data at Forest Medical Center
Step 1: Create a Scatter Plot in Excel
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Open Excel and enter the monthly data for Number of Surgeries and Number of Late Surgeries
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Highlight both columns
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Insert a scatter plot (Insert > Charts > Scatter)
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Label the axes clearly (X-axis: Number of Surgeries, Y-axis: Number of Late Surgeries)
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Add a chart title
Step 2: Create Run Charts in Excel
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For Number of Late Surgeries, create a line chart over the months (Insert > Line Chart)
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Do the same for Overall Number of Surgeries
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Ensure the x-axis represents months in chronological order
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Add axis titles and chart titles accordingly
Step 3: Create Control Charts in Excel
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Calculate the mean (average) for both variables
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Calculate the standard deviation (STDEV.P or STDEV.S depending on your data type)
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Determine Upper Control Limit (UCL) and Lower Control Limit (LCL) using:
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UCL = Mean + (Z * Std Dev)
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LCL = Mean – (Z * Std Dev)
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For 95% confidence, Z ≈ 1.96
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Plot the data points over time
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Add horizontal lines for Mean, UCL, and LCL
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Use Excel’s line chart to visualize control charts for both Late Surgeries and Overall Surgeries
Step 4: Draw Conclusions in Word
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Compare patterns and trends from scatter, run, and control charts
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Assess whether the late surgeries are within control limits and if they correlate with the total surgeries
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Highlight any outliers or months with unusual activity
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Discuss implications for surgical scheduling or hospital efficiency
Problem Two: Analyzing Influenza Cases Data
Step 1: Create a Run Chart in Excel
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Enter the influenza case numbers by quarter and year
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Create a line chart showing the trend of cases over all quarters in chronological order
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Label the axes and chart clearly
Step 2: Create a Control Chart in Excel
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Calculate the mean and standard deviation for the influenza cases
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Calculate UCL and LCL for 95% confidence as above
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Plot the influenza cases with mean, UCL, and LCL lines
Step 3: Draw Conclusions in Word
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Observe if influenza cases show any seasonal patterns or outliers
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Evaluate whether the data remains stable or shows variation beyond control limits
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Discuss implications for hospital preparedness or public health interventions
Final Step: Organize and Submit Your Work
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Save your Excel file with all charts and calculations clearly labeled
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Prepare a Word document with your two sets of conclusions (Problem One and Two), clearly numbered and formatted
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Cite any resources used for control chart formulas or healthcare data interpretation
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Upload both files to your course platform before the deadline
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