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.
Resources
Be sure to review the Learning Resources before completing this activity.
Click the weekly resources link to access the resources.
WEEKLY RESOURCES
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?
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.
*Note: Throughout this program, your fellow students are referred to as colleagues.
Solution
According to the American Nurses Association(2024), informatics is the integration of nursing, computer, and information science to manage and communicate data; I currently work in an orthopedic/general surgical PCU unit, and the issue that affects the patient population the most is hospital-acquired pressure injuries due to patient inactivity caused by post-operative pain. The main demographic of patients in my area of Southwest Florida is elderly patients with mainly hip fractures and knee replacements. Seventy percent of hospital-acquired pressure injuries (HAPIs) occur in patients over seventy and increase by five percent for each additional year after that(Uslu & Akbaba, 2023). HAPIs can substantially increase the cost of the hospital stay and lead to health complications. Data collection in this scenario would include chart reviews to audit how often the patients are being turned and ambulated after surgery. Nutrition also plays a role in the development of pressure injuries( Chen et. al,2023), Looking through the patient’s EHR to see their dietary intake during their stay could also provide valuable data. The data collected would help the management team find the gaps in care that were leading to an increase in pressure injuries and help to implement any new policy changes or education that is necessary to improve patient care and outcomes.
Refrences
Chen, B., Yang, Y., Cai, F., Zhu, C., Lin, S., Huang, P., & Zhang, L. (2023, April 24). Nutritional status as a predictor of the incidence of pressure injury in adults: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Tissue Viability. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965206X23000438#:~:text=Conclusion-,This%20systematic%20review%20and%20meta%2Danalysis%20showed%20that%20nutritional%20status,dynamic%20nutritional%20inspections%20during%20hospitalizationLinks to an external site..
ANA. (2024, February 19). What is Nursing Informatics and why is it so important?.https://www.nursingworld.org/content-hub/resources/nursing-resources/nursing-informatics/
Uslu, Y., & Akbaba, M. A. (2023, November 20). Evaluation of perioperative pressure injury in adults 65 years and older: A prospective cohort study. Journal of Tissue Viability. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0965206X23001158
