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.

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?

ANSWER OF THE DSCUSSION QUESTION

The scenario that would rely on informatics within the healthcare system involves patient care management. The scenario involves a patient is undergoing a diagnostic and screening process such as prostate specific antigen test (PSA) for prostate cancer in one hospital. The current hospital doctor is able to establish that the patient had already undergone a similar process in another hospital after interviewing the patient. This prompts the current doctor to seek records of the patient from the other hospital indicating the results of the last screening tests for further review and guide the current screening process. In this case, the type of data required involved those produced from the diagnostic and screening tests the patient underwent in the last hospital. The data includes the PSA tests results and underlying conditions such as medications or infections that might affect the test. The doctor in this case accesses the patient’s data from the other hospital’s electronic health records which consist of lab tests, clinical notes and other patient data.

In practical terms the doctor can receive a fax of the patient data such as blood tests, and other details such as weight, age, blood pressure and blood sugar levels. The doctor can also use text messaging which also promotes equitable care (Storck, 2017).The fax can also contain previous or current medical conditions and medications of the patient which will guide the current doctor’s diagnosis and treatment plan. Overall, the doctor will learn about the policies and procedures that the other hospital has established in its diagnostic and treatment processes. It will also show the doctor the authorization and authentication process of processing patient records including his intentional purposes for the data.

A nursing leader, in this regard, will rely on clinical reasoning and judgment by diligently collecting and processing information regarding the patient’s condition before implementing any treatment plan. At the managerial level it requires the interpretation and modification of information and data for better decision making processes within the information system (Sweeney, 2017). After all, virtual health services are the coming trend globally (Nagle et al., 2017). This effort will ensure the patient in this scenario gets the proper diagnosis and treatment and thus obtain the best health outcomes based on evidence-based practices.

References

Nagle,L.M., Sermeus,W., & Junger,A.(2017). Evolving role of the nursing informatics specialist. Open Access, 212-221.

Sweeney, J.92017). Healthcare Informatics. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics, 21(1).

Storck, L. (2017). Policy Statement: Texting in Healthcare. OJNI,21(1).