Data linkage is the transitory electronic process by which two or more sources of data (e.g. hospital admission, perioperative deaths, hospital bed occupancy rates, cervical screening, vaccination rates, and administrative data) are combined to produce a large amount of information (Powell, Davies & Thomson, 2002). Arguably, the linking of databases can significantly contribute to current health research by facilitating the assessment of service delivery, clinical performance, health policies, and ensuring that support is directed towards those who need it the most (Kelman, Bass, & Holman, 2002). In order to link two or more sets of data, it is necessary to use identifiers which are prevalent to all health records. Identifiers tend to contain …show more content…
For example, in a study that examined adhesions (i.e. bands of fibrous tissue that form between abdominal tissue and other organs causing them to stick together) following open abdominal and pelvic surgery (Ellis et al., 1999)’, researchers identified 29 790 patients who experienced this type of surgery in 1986 (none underwent any surgical procedures in the following 5 years). The findings indicated that after 10 years, 34.6% of the patients had been readmitted to hospital, as a result of complications resulting from adhesions. While randomised control trials (RCT) could be used to evaluate the effectiveness of medical treatments, tracking patients through time in this manner would be very difficult and expensive. Therefore, it could be argued that data linkage would allow follow-up reviews and analyses of studies to be carried out more economically, comprehensively, and at a faster pace, compared to other methods. It will also help researchers to detect unpredictable events or to notice differences between cohorts that may not have been otherwise established in controlled preliminary settings. For example, the Scottish ‘PROSPER’ study has grown due to the linkage of data, and it has enabled researchers to ascertain the effects of cholesterol reducing medication as the leading prevention of heart disease (Shepherd et al.,
Generally, the development and adoption of Clinical Decision Support (CDS) systems is based on the necessity and essence of technical standards in enhancing healthcare. However, the various health IT tools must comply with some data interchange standards in order to enhance access to clinical records, lessen clinical errors and risks to patient safety, and promote innovation in “individual-based” care (Hammond, Jaffe & Kush, 2009, p.44). The need for compliance with standards is fueled by their role in enabling aggregation of informa...
• Provides a basic level of interoperability among electronic health records (EHRs) maintained by individual physicians and organizations
Friedman, D. J., Parrish, G., & Ross, D. A. (2013). Electronic Health Records and US Public Health: Current Realities and Future Promise. American Journal of Public Health, 103(9), 1560-1567
Catheter Acquired Urinary Tract Infections (CAUTIs) has become to be classified as one among the leading infections which most individuals end up being susceptible to acquire while at the hospital. Healthcare-associated or acquired infections (HAIs) are a significant cause of illness, death, and more often than not, have resulted to cost the tax payers potentially high medical expenses in most health care settings. ("Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality," para. 1) Due to this, 1 out of every 20 patients will end up with CAUTI within the US hospitals and this has caused Agency for healthcare research and quality (AHRQ) to embark on nationwide plans to help in the eradication and control of CAUTI incidences. ("Agency
Unfortunately, the quality of health care in America is flawed. Information technology (IT) offers the potential to address the industry’s most pressing dilemmas: care fragmentation, medical errors, and rising costs. The leading example of this is the electronic health record (EHR). An EHR, as explained by HealthIT.gov (n.d.), is a digital version of a patient’s paper chart. It includes, but is not limited to, medical history, diagnoses, medications, and treatment plans. The EHR, then, serves as a resource that aids clinicians in decision-making by providing comprehensive patient information.
Sackett, D.L., Rosenberg, W.M.C., Muir Gray, J.A., Haynes, R.B., & Richardson, W.S. (1996). Evidence-based medicine: what it is and what it isn't.(Editorial).British Medical Journal. 313 : 71.
Sackett, D.L et al. (1996). Evidence based medicine: what it is and what it isn't. British Medical Journal, 312: 71.
Tan & Payton (2010) describe the electronic health record (EHR), which dates back to the 1950s. These computer-based patient records have evolved into complex systems with many capabilities. They were designed to provide healthcare professionals with a comprehensive picture of a patient’s health status at any time and are meant to automate and streamline the workflow of the healthcare professional (Tan & Payton,
The program director, the associate director, the administration, the head of nutrition and metabolism research as well as the nursing staff. All these personnel are charged with different responsibilities when combined helps in realization of an effective outcome that improves the nursing practice.
I chose this study because it has a large cohort which eliminates sample bias. High quality data could be obtained from this longitudinal epidemiological ...
The American Health Information Management Association is a body of health information professionals that majorly concerns itself with the improvement of the quality of medical records (Harman 104). These health data records are vital for the purposes of monitoring the progress of patients, performance improvements and for improving outcomes.
Russell, L. B. (2009). Preventing chronic disease: an important investment, but don’t count on cost savings. Health Affairs, 28(1), p. 42-45.
Tunis S., Stryer D., Clancy C. Increasing the Value of Clinical Research for Decision Making in Clinical and Health Policy. JAMA. 2003;290(12): 1624-1632
Nursing Informatics is a nursing field that involves record keeping and focuses on finding ways to improve information management and communications in nursing to improve efficiency, reduce costs and enhance the quality of patient care. This field is primarily administrative but plays a part in patient care and quality of health care. There are other types of nurses, but many people focus on the nurses who perform the medical treatments with the doctors. This is evident in many films, TV shows, and in other popular media outlets. However, many people do not know what nursing informatics is nor pay attention to that side of nursing which involves the documentation of records and other miscellaneous items, use of advances in technology to improve
A rising concern with informatics and public health is the barrier between data sharing. A major challenge for public health informatics is facilitating the improved exchange of information between public health and clinical care. Many of the data in public health information systems still come from forms filled out by hand, which are later computer-coded. Some reports are electronic but the initial data still have to be entered manually, this results in serious underreporting of data. Information silos typically do not share priorities, goals or even the same tools. Departments operate as individual units; silos occur due to an organization structure. Silos make it difficult to share information, agencies store same information in multiple places. Furthermore, silos increase health agency cost.