D220 Quiz Notes: Maximizing Healthcare Data Value and Integrity

Student Name

Western Governors University

D220 Information Technology in Nursing Practice

Prof. Name:

Date

Book Quizzes/Tests

1. What is a use in maximizing the value of healthcare data?

Healthcare data is a highly valuable resource because it significantly contributes to improving healthcare delivery. One critical way to maximize its value is through the development of clinical decision support (CDS) tools. These tools utilize healthcare data to augment clinical care by assisting healthcare professionals in making informed, evidence-based decisions at the point of care, thereby enhancing patient outcomes and safety.

2. What is one example of a standardized data language that nurses are familiar with?

Electronic health records (EHRs) have revolutionized the ability of healthcare organizations to collect and share patient information. However, the lack of uniform data formats remains a challenge. Standardizing healthcare data is essential for enabling organizations to compile, classify, and analyze information to uncover new insights, trends, and ways to improve patient care. Nurses, for instance, are often familiar with NANDA (North American Nursing Diagnosis Association), a standardized nursing terminology that facilitates consistent documentation and communication of nursing diagnoses.

3. In the DIKW framework, what describes information and knowledge? (True or False)

The DIKW (Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom) framework outlines how raw data transforms into actionable wisdom. It is a common misconception that information is data that has been processed to show relationships and interactions. In fact, knowledge is the stage where information is organized and interpreted to identify these relations and interactions. Therefore, the statement that “information is processed and organized data so that relations and interactions may be identified” is false.

4. What is data scrubbing, and is it a mechanism that prompts users during data entry? (True or False)

Maintaining data integrity is paramount in healthcare because clinical decisions must be based on accurate and authentic information. While some systems provide prompts to assist users in completing tasks or verifying input (often called validation checks), data scrubbing is a distinct process. It involves cleaning datasets by removing incorrect, incomplete, duplicate, or improperly formatted data using specialized software tools. Therefore, the claim that data scrubbing is a mechanism that prompts users during data entry is false.

5. What are different healthcare data sources and their purposes?

Healthcare data can be collected from various sources, each serving specific roles in healthcare delivery and public health monitoring. Below is a table summarizing these data sources along with their primary uses:

Data Source	Purpose
Medical Records	Track events and transactions between patients and healthcare providers, including medical history, lab tests, procedures, and drug history.
Surveillance	Monitor outbreaks and trends in specific diseases or health conditions at a population level.
Surveys	Collect health and social science data directly from participants, relying on their recall and interpretation.
Vital Records	Provide standardized fixed data elements at state and national levels, such as birth and death records.

6. What advice should be given to patients regarding evaluating the reliability of health information found on the internet?

With the vast amount of health information available online, patients often struggle to discern credible from unreliable sources. The best professional advice to offer is to critically evaluate the quality of information by checking for qualified and credible sources, as well as specific details and dates that allow for independent verification. Utilizing resources like tutorials from the U.S. National Library of Medicine can help patients verify the authenticity and reliability of health information.

7. What is the goal of Outcomes Research (OCR) in healthcare?

Outcomes Research (OCR) is a model focused on measuring quality indicators within healthcare. Its primary aim is to minimize variations in clinical practice by identifying and promoting interventions that yield positive patient outcomes. Contrary to some beliefs, OCR does not merely improve care quality through research data alone; instead, it focuses on consistent application of effective practices to achieve outcomes such as improved survival rates, enhanced quality of life, functional status, cost-effectiveness, and patient satisfaction.

8. What are the key components of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) systems?

Clinical Decision Support systems provide timely, data-driven, patient-specific information to clinicians and other healthcare staff to improve clinical workflow and patient care. A CDS system follows a specific sequence of components, which includes:

A trigger (e.g., a medication order),
Input data (e.g., lab values),
Intervention information (e.g., alternative options),
An action step (e.g., the clinician’s chosen action).

This sequence ensures that decisions are evidence-based and appropriate for the patient’s context.

9. How does data relate to quality improvement initiatives in healthcare?

Data plays a vital role in quality improvement efforts by enabling healthcare providers to measure the quality of care delivery. Through systematic data collection and analysis, organizations can determine whether planned interventions and strategies lead to improvements in patient outcomes and care processes.

10. What is big data, and why is technology necessary for its management?

Big data refers to extremely large and complex datasets generated in healthcare settings, which are invaluable for detecting patterns, trends, and associations that might not be visible with smaller datasets. Managing and analyzing big data requires advanced technological tools and algorithms because its volume, velocity, and variety exceed traditional data processing capabilities.

11. What healthcare policy reform introduced in 2008 incentivizes quality over quantity in care?

The value-based care model introduced reforms that reward healthcare providers and organizations based on the quality of care they deliver, rather than the volume of services rendered. This policy encourages improved patient outcomes by tying financial incentives to performance on specific quality measures and indicators.

References

Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality. (n.d.). Clinical decision support systems. https://www.ahrq.gov/cds/index.html

North American Nursing Diagnosis Association (NANDA). (2024). Nursing diagnoses. https://nanda.org/