NURS-6051C Module 1: Week 1: 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.

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

Reduction of hospital-acquired infection in a busy inpatient ward is based on timely access to data. Infection levels persist despite stringent infection prevention practices, compromising patient outcomes and safety. Data analysis in a systemic process is required to identify patterns, root causes, and solutions. Toney-Butler et al. (2023) observe that nursing informatics provides for hand hygiene, environmental, and asepsis assessment, ultimately improving patient care. Timely, actual data access provides for proactive interventions, which significantly lower HAIs in clinical environments.

Data on patient demography, occurrence of infection, hand hygiene, room disinfection, and antimicrobial stewardship is needed to address HAIs. The data is collected using electronic health record systems, surveillance systems, and observational studies. Staff training and infection reports can also give insights into HAI trends (Ghildayal, 2024). The data stores accumulate over time, and help identify risk factors and inform evidence-based infection prevention in hospitals.

Data can be accessible for medical practitioners through hospital databases, infection prevention dashboards, and live monitoring programs. The data can be displayed using data visualization in trend graphs and heat maps, which support timely issue-solving. Cloud informatics solutions support interdisciplinary teams in sharing insights and planning for interventions in an easier process. Edemekong et al. (2024) emphasize complying with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) and data security when handling patient data. Sharing data among various departments makes infection prevention more effective, resulting in an integrated process.

This data might help healthcare professionals understand the causes of HAIs. For instance, low hand hygiene adherence and higher infection rates may warrant tougher measures. Additionally, patterns in environmental cleanliness failures may indicate the need for better disinfection. Trends in specific patient populations, such as immunocompromised patients, may lead to focused preventative measures (Parry et al., 2022). Evidence-based nursing decision-making is based on ongoing data analysis.

Furthermore, analysis of data patterns over time might forecast infection outbreaks and enhance resource allocation. If HAIs rise and personnel shortages occur, task allocation may need to be adjusted to guarantee excellent care. Understanding how treatments like antimicrobial stewardship programs work might improve best practices. Ultimately, data-driven knowledge generation improves patient safety and healthcare quality (Toney-Butler et al., 2023). Transforming raw data into usable insight requires informatics.

Nurse leaders use clinical judgment to assess data and make significant changes. They might evaluate infection control issues and propose policy changes by synthesizing data from diverse sources. Additionally, nurse leaders would collaborate with other healthcare practitioners to teach and execute infection prevention. Their ability to use data-driven insights promotes safety and accountability for healthcare organizations.

Additionally, nurse leaders would use data analysis to direct staff education and professional development. Targeting training on gaps helps infection prevention efforts follow evidence-based standards. Continuous monitoring and feedback would enhance patient outcomes by reinforcing excellent practices. By using informatics, nurse leaders improve healthcare quality and patient safety (Parry et al., 2022). Their data-driven decision-making skills improve infection control strategies.

References

Edemekong, P. F., Haydel, M. J., & Annamaraju, P. (2024, November 24). Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK500019/Links to an external site.

Ghildayal, N. (2024). Public Health Surveillance in Electronic Health Records: Lessons From PCORnet. Preventing Chronic Disease, 21. https://doi.org/10.5888/pcd21.230417Links to an external site.

Parry, M. F., Sestovic, M., Renz, C., Pangan, A., Grant, B., & Shah, A. K. (2022). Environmental cleaning and disinfection: Sustaining changed practice and improving quality in the community hospital. Antimicrobial Stewardship and Healthcare Epidemiology, 2(1). https://doi.org/10.1017/ash.2022.257Links to an external site.

Toney-Butler, T. J., Carver, N., & Gasner, A. (2023). Hand hygiene. National Library of Medicine; StatPearls Publishing. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK470254/Links to an external site.

This question has been answered.

Order Now