Write 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?
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.
Application of Data in Nursing Informatics
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Application of Data in Nursing Informatics
Waiting time is one of the factors that influence patient experience and satisfaction in hospital settings. A scenario that would benefit from access to data is the introduction of a tablet in the emergency department (ED) of a district hospital for entering patients’ data when capturing vital signs. The ED has been capturing patients’ data using a desktop. The idea to replace desktops with a tablet in the ED was informed by research. A study by Sweeney et al. (2018) revealed that tablets are easier to use and access than laptops. Tablets do not only increase the providers’ job satisfaction but also reduce the time spent with a patient and improve healthcare quality.
The vital signs to be collected are respiratory rate, heart rate, temperature, blood pressure, weight, height, and body mass index (BMI). The average waiting time set for every patient in the proposed change is 32 minutes (Nguyen et al., 2020). The specific data to be collected is the actual time spent by every patient in the facility from the time of arrival at the ED and the point of care. This data will be collected on a rolling basis based on patient visits. The data will be stored in the facility’s electronic health records (EHR) system and only accessed by authorized persons.
The knowledge that might be derived from the data is an understanding of how the use of a tablet instead of a desktop affects patients’ waiting time in the ED. A nurse leader can use the data to propose to the hospital administration to either retain the desktop or replace it with a tablet depending on the nature of the collected data. Nyce et al. (2021) found that prolonged waiting time is associated with negative patient experience.
In another study, Biya et al. (2022) found that excessive waiting time is linked with time loss for both the hospital and the patient, negative experiences for both the patient and the provider, and reduced patient volume or visits. In case the use of a tablet instead of a desktop reduces patients’ waiting time in the ED as supported by published evidence, the nurse leader should use clinical reasoning and judgment to form knowledge that supports the integration of a tablet in order to increase patient/provider experience and satisfaction, improve healthcare quality, and increase patient volume.
References
Biya, M., Gezahagn, M., Birhanu, B., Yitbarek, K., Getachew, N., & Beyene, W. (2022). Waiting time and its associated factors in patients presenting to outpatient departments at Public Hospitals of Jimma Zone, Southwest Ethiopia. BMC Health Services Research, 22(1), 107. https://doi.org/10.1186/s12913-022-07502-8
Nguyen, D. H., Tran, D. V., Vo, H. L., Nguyen Si Anh, H., Doan, T. N., & Nguyen, T. H. (2020). Outpatient waiting time at vietnam health facilities: Policy implications for medical examination procedure. Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland), 8(1), 63. https://doi.org/10.3390/healthcare8010063
Nyce, A., Gandhi, S., Freeze, B., Bosire, J., Ricca, T., Kupersmith, E., Mazzarelli, A., & Rachoin, J. S. (2021). Association of emergency department waiting times with patient experience in admitted and discharged patients. Journal of Patient Experience, 8, 23743735211011404. https://doi.org/10.1177/23743735211011404
Sweeney, M., Paruchuri, K., & Weingart, S. N. (2018). Going mobile: Resident physicians’ assessment of the impact of tablet computers on clinical tasks, job satisfaction, and quality of care. Applied Clinical Informatics, 9(3), 588–594. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-0038-1667121