NURS 6051 The Application of Data to Problem-Solving
Gaps in patients’ medical data are a major concern in my current healthcare organization, a psychiatric/mental health facility that provides inpatient and outpatient services. Clients in the facility present with various mental health disorders that require a long-term treatment follow-up. Some patients are also followed-up for years due to either treatment-resistant conditions such as schizophrenia and Bipolar or when they develop comorbid conditions. Patients’ data is crucial in our setting to help follow-up a client’s psychiatric history and response to treatment and guide the treatment plan.
Patient data often gets lost when a client’s file or parts of the file go missing. Besides, it has been challenging to maintain a patient’s file in its original state, especially for patients who have been in our care for more than two years. As a result, patient information documented in the early stages of management gets tampered with. This makes it hard to determine a patient’s response to treatment and identifying effective and non-effective treatments. Besides, clinicians are forced to obtain detailed patients’ history in the follow-up visits, which is cumbersome and time-wasting.
Comprehensive patients’ data can help understand a patient’s condition through the psychiatric and treatment history. It can also guide practitioners in developing treatment plans and evaluating a patient’s response to treatment. Our organization can benefit from using an electronic health record (EHR), which helps collect detailed patients’ information and store the data permanently and securely in a patient’s database (Adibuzzaman et al., 2018). A comprehensive patient history will only be taken in the first contact with a client and will only be updated in the consecutive follow-up visits. Furthermore, the data can be accessed by other health providers who are involved in a patient’s care (Adibuzzaman et al., 2018). Each provider will have access to the EHR, but they will be limited to the amount of patient information they can access based on one’s role in the patient’s care (Islam et al., 2018). The health providers can be provided personal usernames and passwords to access the EHR. They will be advised against sharing them to maintain the privacy of patients’ information.
The EHR data can inform health providers of a patients’ medical and psychiatric history, which will enable them to make correct psychiatric diagnoses and develop effective treatment plans. Besides, the data can allow health providers to predict the risk of a patient developing comorbid conditions or treatment-resistant conditions (Adibuzzaman et al., 2018). Practitioners can use the family psychiatric history to predict the risk of a client or their children developing a psychiatric disorder such as ADHD, schizophrenia, or Huntington’s disease.
A nurse leader can use clinical reasoning and judgment to form knowledge from this experience by analyzing clients’ medical history and demographic characteristics. This can help generate knowledge on medical or psychiatric illnesses that are more prevalent in a specific population (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). The nurse leader can also use the data to analyze clients’ lifestyle practices and determine how they influence the development of a specific illness. Besides, the nurse can use data to establish how patients with a particular condition respond to various treatments (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017). This can generate knowledge on the treatment options of a disease that result in the best patient outcomes.
References
Adibuzzaman, M., DeLaurentis, P., Hill, J., & Benneyworth, B. D. (2018). Big data in healthcare – the promises, challenges, and opportunities from a research perspective: A case study with a model database. AMIA … Annual Symposium proceedings. AMIA Symposium, 2017, 384–392.
Islam, M. S., Hasan, M. M., Wang, X., Germack, H. D., & Noor-E-Alam, M. (2018). A Systematic Review on Healthcare Analytics: Application and Theoretical Perspective of Data Mining. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 6(2), 54. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare6020054
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
NURS 6051 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 the property. In these and other cases, data not only help 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 data 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.
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.
Submission and Grading Information
Grading Criteria
To access your rubric:
Week 1 Discussion Rubric
Post by Day 3 and Respond by Day 6 of Week 1
To participate in this Discussion:
Week 1 Discussion
Module 1: What Is Informatics? (Weeks 1-2)
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). What is Informatics? [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Learning Objectives
Students will:
- Analyze how data collection and access can be used to derive knowledge in a healthcare setting
- Analyze the role of the nurse leader in using clinical reasoning and judgement in the formation of knowledge
- Explain the role of the nurse as a knowledge worker
- Explain concepts of nursing informatics
- Create infographics related to nursing informatics and the role of the nurse as a knowledge worker
| Due By | Assignment |
| Week 1, Days 1–2 | Read/Watch/Listen to the Learning Resources. Compose your initial Discussion post. |
| Week 1, Day 3 | Post your initial Discussion post. Begin to compose your Assignment. |
| Week 1, Days 4-5 | Review peer Discussion posts. Compose your peer Discussion responses. Continue to compose your Assignment. |
| Week 1, Day 6 | Post at least two peer Discussion responses on two different days (and not the same day as the initial post). Continue to compose your Assignment. |
| Week 1, Day 7 | Wrap up Discussion. |
| Week 2, Day 1–6 | Continue to compose your Assignment. |
| Week 2, Day 7 | Deadline to submit your Assignment. |
Learning Resources
Required Readings
McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2017). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
- Chapter 1, “Nursing Science and the Foundation of Knowledge” (pp. 7–19)
- Chapter 2, “Introduction to Information, Information Science, and Information Systems” (pp. 21–33)
- Chapter 3, “Computer Science and the Foundation of Knowledge Model” (pp. 35–62)
Sweeney, J. (2017). Healthcare informatics. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics, 21(1).
Required Media
Laureate Education (Producer). (2018). Health Informatics and Population Health: Trends in Population Health [Video file]. Baltimore, MD: Author.
Credit: Provided courtesy of the Laureate International Network of Universities.
Rubric Detail
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Content
Name: NURS_5051_Module01_Week01_Discussion_Rubric
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Excellent Good Fair Poor
Main Posting
Points Range: 45 (45%) – 50 (50%)
Answers all parts of the discussion question(s) expectations with reflective critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module and current credible sources.
Supported by at least three current, credible sources.
Written clearly and concisely with no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.
Points Range: 40 (40%) – 44 (44%)
Responds to the discussion question(s) and is reflective with critical analysis and synthesis of knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.
At least 75% of post has exceptional depth and breadth.
Supported by at least three credible sources.
Written clearly and concisely with one or no grammatical or spelling errors and fully adheres to current APA manual writing rules and style.
Points Range: 35 (35%) – 39 (39%)
Responds to some of the discussion question(s).
One or two criteria are not addressed or are superficially addressed.
Is somewhat lacking reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.
Somewhat represents knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.
Post is cited with two credible sources.
Written somewhat concisely; may contain more than two spelling or grammatical errors.
Contains some APA formatting errors.
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 34 (34%)
Does not respond to the discussion question(s) adequately.
Lacks depth or superficially addresses criteria.
Lacks reflection and critical analysis and synthesis.
Does not represent knowledge gained from the course readings for the module.
Contains only one or no credible sources.
Not written clearly or concisely.
Contains more than two spelling or grammatical errors.
Does not adhere to current APA manual writing rules and style.
Main Post: Timeliness
Points Range: 10 (10%) – 10 (10%)
Posts main post by day 3.
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not post by day 3.
First Response
Points Range: 17 (17%) – 18 (18%)
Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.
Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.
Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.
Points Range: 15 (15%) – 16 (16%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.
Points Range: 13 (13%) – 14 (14%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth.
Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.
Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 12 (12%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.
Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are missing.
No credible sources are cited.
Second Response
Points Range: 16 (16%) – 17 (17%)
Response exhibits synthesis, critical thinking, and application to practice settings.
Responds fully to questions posed by faculty.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by at least two scholarly sources.
Demonstrates synthesis and understanding of learning objectives.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are fully answered, if posed.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.
Points Range: 14 (14%) – 15 (15%)
Response exhibits critical thinking and application to practice settings.
Communication is professional and respectful to colleagues.
Responses to faculty questions are answered, if posed.
Provides clear, concise opinions and ideas that are supported by two or more credible sources.
Response is effectively written in standard, edited English.
Points Range: 12 (12%) – 13 (13%)
Response is on topic and may have some depth.
Responses posted in the discussion may lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are somewhat answered, if posed.
Response may lack clear, concise opinions and ideas, and a few or no credible sources are cited.
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 11 (11%)
Response may not be on topic and lacks depth.
Responses posted in the discussion lack effective professional communication.
Responses to faculty questions are missing.
No credible sources are cited.
Participation
Points Range: 5 (5%) – 5 (5%)
Meets requirements for participation by posting on three different days.
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Points Range: 0 (0%) – 0 (0%)
Does not meet requirements for participation by posting on 3 different days.
Total Points: 100
Name: NURS_5051_Module01_Week01_Discussion_Rubric