Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving
In the modern era, there are few professions that do not to some extent rely on data. Stockbrokers rely on market data to advise clients on financial matters. Meteorologists rely on weather data to forecast weather conditions, while realtors rely on data to advise on the purchase and sale of property. In these and other cases, data not only helps solve problems, but adds to the practitioner’s and the discipline’s body of knowledge.
Of course, the nursing profession also relies heavily on data. The field of nursing informatics aims to make sure nurses have access to the appropriate date to solve healthcare problems, make decisions in the interest of patients, and add to knowledge.
In this Discussion, you will consider a scenario that would benefit from access to data and how such access could facilitate both problem-solving and knowledge formation.
To Prepare:
- Reflect on the concepts of informatics and knowledge work as presented in the Resources.
- Consider a hypothetical scenario based on your own healthcare practice or organization that would require or benefit from the access/collection and application of data. Your scenario may involve a patient, staff, or management problem or gap.
By Day 3 of Week 1
Post a description of the focus of your scenario. Describe the data that could be used and how the data might be collected and accessed. What knowledge might be derived from that data? How would a nurse leader use clinical reasoning and judgment in the formation of knowledge from this experience?
In today’s healthcare system, informatics has become an essential part of the infrastructure to improve access to health information, safer patient care, decrease health care cost, and improve outcomes (Tellez, 2012). Currently, information technology is a critical part of our health care industry and the mandate for the EHR implementation requires healthcare providers to have the basic computer knowledge as well as informatics competencies to manage and use technology to deliver care. The nursing profession, with more than four million members, is the largest group of healthcare providers and must have the computer skills and competencies in the workforce (Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, 2016). One of the six competencies set forth by the Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN) initiative to improve the quality and safety of patient care is informatics; therefore, all nursing students must learn the foundation of informatics knowledge to obtain the informatics competency required in the workforce.
Nursing informatics competencies are a required set of skills required to effectively use health information technology in today’s technology-rich healthcare delivery system (Sipes et al, 2016; Green, Hardie, Dohan, & Tan, 2015). Although informatics competencies for practicing nurses and NIs have been determined, evidence on the impact of nursing informatics competencies on the individual, organization and patients is scarce (Green, Hardie, Dohan, & Tan, 2015).
References
Green, M., Hardie, T., Dohan, M., & Tan, J. (2015). Measuring the Impact of Nursing Informatics Competencies on Decision Satisfaction: Theoretical Model and Direction for New Research. From Association for Information Systems: https://aisel.aisnet.org/confirm2015/12/
Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation. (2016). Total Number of Professionally Active Nurses. From https://www.kff.org/other/state-indicator/total-registerednurses/?currentTimeframe=0
Tellez, M. (2012). Nursing Informatics Education Past, Present, and Future. From Computers, Informatics, Nursing, 30(5), 229-234. doi:10.1097/NXN.0b013e3182569f42
By Day 6 of Week 1
Respond to at least two of your colleagues* on two different days, asking questions to help clarify the scenario and application of data, or offering additional/alternative ideas for the application of nursing informatics principles.
I agree that Informatics is an essential part of our practice. Informatics is changing the face of healthcare. As technology advances, healthcare organizations and providers are able to collect, analyze and leverage data more effectively, influencing the way care is delivered, resources are managed and teams operate each day (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018).
Patient safety is a primary concern of any health care provider, and nurses are often on the front lines of ensuring that their patients are kept safe and preventing medication errors, misdiagnoses, falls, and other problems. Health informatics provides important data that can prevent these errors; for example, an electronic record can provide information about a possible dangerous medication interaction or allergy that might not otherwise be immediately apparent. Armed with data, nurses can make quick decisions that keep their patients safe (Cassano. n.d.).
References
Cristina Cassano. (n.d.). The Right Balance -Technology and Patient Care. Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society, Inc. (HIMSS). https://himss.org
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Publishers.