Healthcare Informatics Applications Part I: Data-Based Changes Paper
Healthcare Informatics Applications Part I: Data-Based Changes Paper
Healthcare Informatics Applications Part I: Data-Based Changes Paper
Healthcare Informatics Applications Part I: Data-Based Changes
The healthcare technology field is dynamic and diverse, leading to data changes occasionally. Healthcare institutions are expected to track their healthcare data and how it may change over time, thus enabling them to plan on preventing and reducing the impact that would follow data losses. Therefore, data-based changes in healthcare keep the informatics team alert and enable them to plan and protect the institution and the populations that depend on it for care services. This paper presents one aspect of big data and data mining that interests me, how the particular concept might bring value to healthcare, continuity planning, and an analysis of one scholarly source on the use of informatics in healthcare education.
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Big Data and Data Mining in Healthcare
Healthcare institutions maintain large amounts of data, which is not used every time. Big data in healthcare refers to the enormous amount of healthcare data, which has been acquired from various sources, including public and private data, and brought together for use in running the institution and enhancing the provision of care services (Jayasri & Aruna, 2022). Despite data mining and big data being two distinct concepts, they go hand in hand. Data mining in healthcare is described as delving deep into big data to extract knowledge or information, which is mainly used in clinical decision-making or supportive care services. The most interesting concept of big data that is interesting to me is the variety of data. Healthcare institutions interact with data from various sources, contributing to the variety of big data. According to Jayasri and Aruna (2022), data cannot be referred to as big data if it lacks diversity and a range of different data types. Additionally, the healthcare institution system receives all types of data, including raw, structured, semi-structured, or unstructured data.
A variety of data is an essential concept for healthcare institutions. Healthcare institutions access and interact with various data sets, including patient, clinical, administrative, and benchmarking data. Understanding extensive data variety brings value to healthcare since the institution can organize data into manageable groups, making it easier for storage and retrieval. More so, being aware of the information variety and how each data set is categorized and stored in the hospital database makes data mining more efficient since locating, retrieving, and accessing the data required for a particular reason is made easier.
Furthermore, the concept of data mining that interests me most is the concept of data mining models and algorithms. According to Wu et al. (2021), there are two types of data mining models; descriptive and predictive. Descriptive models are used to find patterns that describe data, whereas predictive data mining models are used to predict future or unknown values of certain variables. Data mining algorithms are methods used to produce valuable or effective knowledge, which is vital for clinical decision-making and risk assessment (Wu et al., 2021). It is essential for healthcare institutions to be aware of how they can use data mining models and algorithms in data mining, hence easing the data mining process and enabling them to use the most appropriate models and algorithms based on the purpose of data mining.
Continuity Planning
According to Henry (2019), continuity planning is the process of laying down a strategy on how an institution would carry on the essential functions in the event that would disrupt the institution’s normal functioning. It also involves understanding potential threats, vulnerabilities, and weaknesses that would significantly impact the institution and planning on how to address them. Developing a hospital institution’s continuity plan would entail the identification of time-sensitive and clinical institution functions, and the resources and processes that support them, thus plan on getting the resources and maintaining the processes to ensure the running of the critical functions in case of any natural or artificial disruption (Henry, 2019). A continuity plan is also required for the information systems in an institution to provide a way forward in case of disruptions caused by disasters or cyber security issues.
As a manager in my current organization, I would recommend an information technology preparedness program included in the overall disaster preparedness and management plan. Information technology is an essential aspect of the institution; thus, preparedness planning is also required. According to Hebda, Czar & Hunter (2019), healthcare institutions should be prepared for the impact of the disaster on their information systems by identifying cyber-related potential risks and employing cyber security safeguards to address them. Similarly, the recommended program would identify cyber-related risks, including data interruption and loss of critical data. Additionally, the security safeguards to address the potential risks would be put in place, including installing anti-virus software, a firewall, encryption of data in transit, and strong authentication methods such as biometric verification. Most importantly, the recommended program would be assessed occasionally and updated where necessary.
Article Analysis
The use of informatics in education for nursing students and the general population has considerably gained popularity. “The article Clinical virtual simulation in nursing education: randomized controlled trial” by Padilha et al. (2019) assesses the use and effectiveness of clinical virtual simulations in nursing education. The study involves a randomized controlled trial whereby the participants are divided into two groups; the intervention group learns with a virtual clinical simulator, while the control group learns in a realistic environment.
The study results show that the clinical virtual simulation in nursing education potentially improves nursing students’ knowledge retention and clinical reasoning and also increases the students’ satisfaction with the learning experience (Padilha et al., 2019). Therefore, the use of clinical simulations in nursing education is effective.
However, simulation technology has various benefits and drawbacks in nursing education. The benefits of simulation technology in nursing education include enhancing learning and understanding without necessarily having to interact with a real clinical environment (Padilha et al., 2019). Another benefit is easing and improving the learning experience for the students. However, some disadvantages of simulation in nursing education include having a huge distinction between simulations and the real world, whereby real-world situations may provide a completely different experience. Additionally, learning using simulations has a high possibility of errors, and updating simulation technologies is expensive. Padilha et al. (2019) recommend the integration of both simulations and real-life learning in nursing education, thus developing robust clinical competencies. I believe using simulation technology is a viable education method since it provides students with learning situations without having to interact with real-life situations, thus enhancing imagination and critical thinking.
Conclusion
Data-based changes in healthcare mandate healthcare institutions to plan and develop strategies to enhance continuity in case of disaster events. Healthcare institutions interact with big data, which requires the use of various data mining models and algorithms for data retrieval. Using simulations in nursing education is an effective and viable educational method since it provides the students with learning situations that develop their competence.
References
Hebda, T. L., Hunter, K., & Czar, P. (2019). Handbook of informatics for nurses and health care professionals (6th ed.). Pearson.
Henry, K. (2019). Business continuity planning: A collaborative approach. In Information Security Management (pp. 775–788). Auerbach Publications. https://doi.org/10.1201/9781351073547-51/
Jayasri, N. P., & Aruna, R. (2022). Big data analytics in health care by data mining and classification techniques. ICT Express, 8(2), 250-257. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.icte.2021.07.001
Padilha, J. M., Machado, P. P., Ribeiro, A., Ramos, J., & Costa, P. (2019). Clinical virtual simulation in nursing education: randomized controlled trial. Journal of Medical Internet Research, 21(3), e11529. https://doi.org/10.2196/11529
Wu, W. T., Li, Y. J., Feng, A. Z., Li, L., Huang, T., Xu, A. D., & Lyu, J. (2021). Data mining in clinical big data: the frequently used databases, steps, and methodological models. Military Medical Research, 8, 1-12. https://doi.org/10.1186/s40779-021-00338-z
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Assignment Description:
Data-Based Changes
Write an word essay addressing each of the following points/questions. Be sure to completely answer all the questions for each number item. There should be three sections, one for each item number below, as well the introduction (heading is the title of the essay) and conclusion paragraphs. Separate each section in your paper with a clear heading that allows your professor to know which bullet you are addressing in that section of your paper. Support your ideas with at least three (3) scholarly citations using APA citations in your essay. Make sure to reference the citations using the APA writing style for the essay. The cover page and reference page do not count towards the minimum word amount. Review the rubric criteria for this assignment.
Identify one aspect of big data and data mining that is interesting to you. Explain the concept and how it might bring value to healthcare.
Describe the concept of continuity planning. If you were the director or manager for your current workplace, describe the preparedness program you would recommend.
Locate an article discussing the use of informatics in healthcare education of the general public or of nursing students. Discuss the benefits and drawbacks to using technology in this situation and recommendations from the author. Do you feel this use of technology is a viable method of educating (the public or nursing students)? Why or why not?
