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
Main Question Post
In my healthcare practice, I feel as though we have an increased rate of unscheduled Caesarean sections. Many of these seem related to patients coming in for an elective induction. In this scenario, I think it would be beneficial to collect data to compare the number of elective inductions that end with a cesarean section compared to a vaginal delivery.
The data needed to be collected included the total number of cesarean sections over a specific period and determined how many were emergent or unscheduled. We also need to know the reason that the mother is in labor. For example, was it spontaneous labor, rupture of membranes, elective induction, or induction related to a medical diagnosis? According to McGonigle and Mastrian (2022), using electronic health records has helped us understand and implement healthcare problems. In this scenario, we can use the patient’s electronic health records to see their medical history from the office setting and sort the data more efficiently. We can also conduct surveys of recent patients through email and phone (Saczynski et al., 2017). About this scenario, we can contact the patients who specifically had an elective induction that ended in a cesarean section. I think it would be helpful to understand the reasoning behind deciding to have an elective induction.
With this information, if the data stands true that elective inductions are at a far higher risk of ending up with a cesarean section, we will know how to educate medical staff and patients moving forward. Nurse leaders would be able to make sure that the hospital system is operating on current data and make the delivery experience safer for patients. According to Nagle et al. (2017), new research can take up to 17 years to be implemented in everyday practice. Because of this, doctors may not always be up to date and practicing with the most recent data.
Saczynski, J. S., McManus, D. D., & Goldberg, R. J. (2013). Commonly used data-collection approaches in clinical research. The American journal of medicine, 126(11), 946–950. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.amjmed.2013.04.016Links to an external site.
Nagle, L., Sermeus, W., & Junger, A. (2017). Evolving role of the nursing informatics specialist. In J. Murphy, W. Goosen, & P. Weber (Eds.), Forecasting Competencies for Nurses in the Future of Connected Health (212-221). Clifton, VA: IMIA and IOS Press. Retrieved from https://serval.unil.ch/resource/serval:BIB_4A0FEA56B8CB.P001/REFLinks to an external site.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2022). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (5th ed.). Jones & Bartlett Learning
