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

As the Director of Nursing (DON) at a skilled nursing facility, I see firsthand how nursing informatics helps improve patient safety, especially when it comes to fall prevention. Recently, we noticed an increase in falls during night shifts, which led me to take a closer look at the contributing factors. By collecting and analyzing the right data, we can identify trends and put better preventive measures in place.

The key data sources we use include Electronic Health Records (EHRs) to track a resident’s fall history, medications, and conditions like dementia or neuropathy. Incident reports help us see patterns in when and where falls are happening, along with staff response times. We also look at staffing data to check nurse-to-patient ratios and training levels, and we consider environmental factors like bed alarms, lighting, and flooring conditions. All of this data is pulled from EHRs, staff reports, and sensor-based monitoring, then analyzed through dashboards to help us spot trends.

With this information, we can take a proactive approach to fall prevention. If we see that falls happen more during shift changes, we can adjust handovers to ensure better patient supervision. If certain medications are increasing fall risk, I can collaborate with doctors to explore alternatives. We can also improve staff training and use predictive fall risk models to flag high-risk residents before incidents happen.

Using nursing informatics allows me to move from reacting to falls after they happen to preventing them in the first place.

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