NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving

The Application of Data to Problem-Solving

Healthcare Scenario

On a surgical floor, post-operative anemia due to blood loss during surgery is common. In some scenarios, the patient will require a blood transfusion. There is a lot of data that is gathered when determining whether a transfusion is necessary. Important data to obtain include complete blood count (CBC), vital signs, estimated blood loss (EBL), drain output, and physical assessment. NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving Below, I detail how each data set is obtained and accessed.

Data to be Accessed

A CBC is obtained via a blood draw, specifically looking at the hemoglobin and hematocrit values. These values will be available to be accessed in the patient’s electronic health record (HER) under their lab results. The patient’s vital signs are obtained by using a vital signs machine. NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving These also will be available to be accessed in the patient’s EHR. The EBL can be accessed in the operative note. If the patient has drains such as a Hemovac or Jackson Pratt (JP) drain, the data on how much output they have had can also be obtained from the EHR under inputs and outputs NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving. Also, physical assessment from the healthcare professional is important to obtain through visual/physical assessment and asking the patient questions on how they feel. Is the patient pale, fatigued, light-headed, or dizzy?

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Clinical Reasoning and Judgment 

The nurse may use transparent wisdom and draw upon past experiences and knowledge base. Transparent wisdom is when the nurse applies knowledge into actions without consciously thinking about it (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018, p. 8). The nurse leader can use their clinical reasoning and judgment in conjunction with data obtained (such as CBC, vitals, etc.) to inform their actions. NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving. In return, this experience can act as feedback to inform future scenarios. Feedback is input such as opinions and reactions to shared knowledge. It can be used to modify inputs, actions, or outputs (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018, p. 9). In this scenario, the shared knowledge of the data from the nurse to the doctor or treatment team will help inform actions. It will also help the nurse build experience and knowledge acquisition for future use. According to the Foundation of Knowledge Model, the knowledge acquisition, dissemination, generation, and processing cones continue to grow and expand as the nurse (or knowledge worker) gains experience and is able to process data and knowledge better (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2018, p. 10) NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving.

Application of Data

When Grant Shevchik, MD, FAFP talked about building questionnaires to help predict diagnosis in the video by Laureate Education (2018, 0:50), it got my attention and sparked my curiosity. He discussed how there is a 20-question questionnaire that can give you 95% accuracy when diagnosing migraines. Dr. Shevchik indicated that this is the direction that medicine is going with the help of informatics. It got me thinking of a useful application of the data regarding blood transfusions. We could potentially assign each pre-operative patient a percentage that symbolizes their individual risk of needing a transfusion post-operatively. Data that could be factored into calculating that risk includes a pre-operative CBC, patient history (anemia, bleeding disorder, etc.), and type and length of surgery. Certain ranges of hemoglobin/hematocrit levels could be assigned different values. Different pre-operative diagnosis could be assigned different values, as well as hours in surgery or type of surgery. Then the cumulative value could be translated into a percent risk. This could help the post-operative team and be another data point to consider if your patient needs a transfusion.

Conclusion

With so much data available, there is an ever-growing need for health informatics. According to Nagle et. Al (2017), there is a disconnect between the exponential growth of technology and linear changes in human behavior. Healthcare knowledge and development is estimated to double every 18 months and it is difficult to keep up with this rapid pace. The only way forward is through using algorithms and decision support systems to integrate the new knowledge in EHRs. The need for nursing informatics is rapidly growing, and understanding the field, role, and necessity of health informatics is essential.

References

Laureate Education. (2018). Health Informatics and Population Health: Trends in Population Health [Video].

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2018). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge (4th ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.

Nagle, L. M., Sermeus, W., & Junger, A. (2017). Evolving Role of the Nursing Informatics Specialist. Forecasting Informatics Competencies for Nurses in the Future of Connected Health, 212-221. doi:10.3233/978-1-61499-738-2-212

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 NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving.

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 NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving.

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. NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving.
• 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? NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving

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.

Click on the Reply button below to reveal the textbox for entering your message. Then click on the Submit button to post your message. NURS 5051/NURS 6051 Week 1 Discussion – The Application of Data to Problem-Solving