Final answer:
A small match range in a Dot Chart indicates a narrow spread of values around the set point, which could signify a health condition if these values fall outside the normal range. Deviations from normal values can suggest conditions like infectious diseases or blood disorders, and numerical comparisons are used to identify these anomalies.
Step-by-step explanation:
When interpreting a Dot Chart showing patient normals and match ranges, a small match range for an anomalous patient indicates that the observed values of a patient's biological variable, such as body temperature, are narrowly spread around the set point. This means that the spread of values is limited and could signify a specific condition that doesn't produce much variability in the result, but is nonetheless outside the normal range.
Typically, deviations from normal values can suggest that an abnormal health condition exists. For example, when analyzing blood test results, if the differential cell count for a patient falls within a small match range that does not overlap with the normal values, it could indicate a health concern such as an infectious disease or a blood-associated disorder. Therefore, exact comparison to normal values is crucial in diagnosing a patient's overall state of health, and numerical comparisons may be performed to identify these deviations more conclusively.