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

In a very busy urban hospital’s emergency department (ED) where I worked, prolonged patient wait time was aggravated by overcrowding, patient dissatisfaction, and increased risk of adverse health outcomes. This state is similar in many healthcare organizations across the world. As such, it is prudent for healthcare professionals to seek strategies that help mitigate this unfortunate situation. Therefore, it is necessary to utilize data-driven approaches to optimize patient flow and care efficiency.

Key data sources include patient arrival time, triage scores, bed availability, staff workload, and discharge times. Electronic health records (EHR), real-time location tracking, and hospital management systems are efficient methods to collect high-quality data on these metrics (Gatiti et al., 2021). Nurses, administrators, and analysts can then access the data through dashboards displaying trends and bottlenecks.

Analyzing patient arrival patterns is also necessary to determine staffing needs during peak hours. This analysis can highlight areas where delays may begin, such as bed turnover or diagnostic tests, which should be optimized (Mostafa & El-Atawi, 2024). Moreover, predictive analytics may alert of high-volume periods for proactive intervention.

When applied by a nurse leader, clinical reasoning and judgment are practical tools to interpret the data insights and develop strategies. For instance, if data shows that lab processing times are delaying the patient flow, a nurse leader could advocate for streamlined testing protocols or increase laboratory staff during the peak hours. Integrating the data with frontline observation enables nurse leaders to implement evidence-based changes such as establishing fast track lanes for low risks or better communication between departments (Kitson et al., 2021). Ultimately, harnessing data-driven decision-making among nurse leaders enables high patient safety levels, enhanced care standards, and practical resource use.

References

Gatiti, P., Ndirangu, E., Mwangi, J., Mwanzu, A., & Ramadhani, T. (2021). Enhancing healthcare quality in hospitals through electronic health records: A systematic review. Libraries. https://scholars.aku.edu/en/publications/enhancing-healthcare-quality-in-hospitals-through-electronic-healLinks to an external site.

Kitson, A. L., Harvey, G., Gifford, W., Hunter, S. C., Kelly, J., Cummings, G. G., Ehrenberg, A., Kislov, R., Pettersson, L., Wallin, L., & Wilson, P. (2021). How nursing leaders promote evidence‐based practice implementation at point‐of‐care: A four‐country exploratory study. Journal of Advanced Nursing, 77(5), 2447–2457. https://doi.org/10.1111/jan.14773Links to an external site.

Mostafa, R., & El-Atawi, K. (2024). Strategies to measure and improve Emergency Department performance: A review. Cureus, 16(1), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.7759/cureus.52879Links to an external site.

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