NURS 6051 week 1 Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving
Scenario: The fall of 2020 saw the rise of corona throughout the globe, impacting regular lifestyle, millions of people where admitted to hospital for treatment. Many of these patient have pre-existing condition that need to be taken into account while treating them for the virus infection.
Resolution: Pertaining to this scenario data played a very important role in not only managing such vast population of patient, but also ensuring that all patient where formally addressed based on their pre-existing condition. The data acquisition process showcases detailed information being collected for patient earlier medical records from the data base of hospital using EHR – Electronic health record of the patient, for those who are regular in-house patient for the hospitals. In case outpatient admitted to the hospital details are collected using social security number of the patient logged with patient medical insurance, which provided detailed information about patient medical history allowing the right approach to be made for each patient while handling their COVID infection NURS 6051 week 1 Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving.
These information thus gathered about each patient allowed the nursing staff to recognize the previous history of the patient based on which treatment approaches are implemented by the doctors. This allowed the nursing staff to gain knowledge on treating COVID patient based on their pre-existing condition and how based on different pre-existing condition, different approaches has been put into place for treatment. Further these accesses to the information also brought in easier resolution process considering the knowledge gained on patient history from the data making the process of treatment easier.
References
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
response
It is certainly true that patients with pre-existing conditions were more affected by the covid virus. Heart disease, diabetes, and those that are immunocompromised were more at risk to develop complications from disease (ADPH, 2021). Using an EHR to track these populations and their risks, treatments, and long-term effects is crucial to understanding and treating future patients (Eddy, 2020). Additionally, clinics that cater to these populations can track numbers affected, fatalities, and long-term complications. In a hospital setting, an EHR can track lab values, daily trends, or even unit success/failures while still being HIPPA compliant NURS 6051 week 1 Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving.
ADPH. (2021). Frequently Asked Questions | Alabama Department of Public Health (ADPH). Alabamapublichealth.gov. Retrieved 2 June 2021, from https://www.alabamapublichealth.gov/covid19/faq.html.
Eddy, N. (2020). Using EHRs to track patients in real time. Healthcare IT News. Retrieved 2 June 2021, from https://www.healthcareitnews.com/news/using-ehrs-track-patients-real-time.
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.
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 NURS 6051 week 1 Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving.
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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.
Nursing Informatics is a developing science that merges nursing science and technology to allow data to be collected, analyzed, and interpreted in order to gain all the necessary knowledge to diagnose and treat patients promptly and efficiently (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). This collected data must be both accessible and accurate in order to be reliable. When used correctly nursing informatics can be used to help nurses track both acute issues and patient’s long-term health concerns. Some examples of informatics being integrated into healthcare currently are electronic health records, patient care portals, off-site dictation, data collection, and patient condition/medication surveillance.
One way that informatics can be used to save lives is by assisting with patient monitoring and alerting to changes outside of a normal reference range or set of values (Quinn,2017 ). This allows nurses to stay engaged with patient care while still ensuring that acute patient conditions are noticed and treated in an appropriate manner. For a moment envision yourself as patient Anna Smith, a 45-year-old female, in the emergency room for abdominal pain. In this acute situation a nurse takes a temperature and then applies a pulse ox, EKG leads, and a blood pressure cuff. Vitals are monitored continuously and entered into the patient’s electronic health record at 15-minute intervals. An algorithm monitors this information along with lab values and medications administered. If appropriate, alerts are triggered to initiate additional nursing care acts. One of these alerts that are triggered by gathering, analyzing, and interpreting multiple data inputs is a sepsis alert. Once triggered, a nurse begins a sepsis protocol that includes additional interventions and order sets to help reduce the time until treatment once sepsis is identified (Westphal et al., 2018) NURS 6051 week 1 Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving.
It is important to remember that even though data is collected and analyzed with the help of technology, nurses must still ensure that data is accurate and relevant (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). For example, nurses should make sure that the blood pressure cuff being used is the appropriate size and that lab specimens are not contaminated in order to ensure data is accurate and relevant.
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Westphal, G. A., Pereira, A. B., Fachin, S. M., Sperotto, G., Gonçalves, M., Albino, L., Bittencourt, R., Franzini, V. R., & Koenig, Á. (2018). An electronic warning system helps reduce the time to diagnosis of sepsis. Um sistema eletrônico de alerta ajuda a reduzir o tempo para diagnóstico de sepse. Revista Brasileira de terapia intensiva, 30(4), 414–422. https://doi.org/10.5935/0103-507X.20180059
Quinn, J. (2017). Five Ways Healthcare Informatics Help Nurses: Health-Notes. Retrieved May 31, 2021, from https://www.ebsco.com/blogs/health-notes/five-ways-healthcare-informatics NURS 6051 week 1 Discussion: The Application of Data to Problem-Solving