Example Of Essay On Moving Data To Wisdom

Caring for the patient diagnosed with chronic heart failure demonstrates how data was moved to wisdom. Data pertained to the signs and symptoms on assessing the patient. Because they are discrete facts, data are initially meaningless (Topaz, 2013). Data included a BP of 155/90, HR: 121, RR: 32, Weight: 156 lbs., pitting edema, dyspnea, crackles on auscultation, SpO2: 95% and a urine output of 280 ml during the first hour. He was prescribed furosemide and a combination of antihypertensive drugs.
Measures were taken serially to establish trends hence translating data into meaningful information (Topaz, 2013). Trends validate the patient’s physiological responses and reflect the effectiveness of interventions. Hourly urine output throughout the shift showed an increase from baseline by 40-160 ml. At the end of shift, there were improvements in vital signs and SpO2 although the BP and RR were still normal. Edema and abnormal lung sounds persisted although these also improved.
Meanwhile, knowledge pertains to establishing relationships among information clusters (Moen & Knudsen, 2013). The nutritional assessment showed that the patient’s diet at home was high in salt and fat and inquiry into his medications showed poor compliance. These data constitute another piece of information, namely contributory factors to exacerbation and potential factors that can limit the efficacy of care. Considering this and the above information cluster, dietary intervention and education was necessary as was counseling on medication compliance. Wisdom or the appropriate use of knowledge in deriving solutions (Moen & Knudsen, 2013) led to the decision to provide pre-discharge education, as well as referral to a local education program promoting self-care for those with chronic illnesses.
Moving data to wisdom involved the use of the patient’s medical and nursing clinical records, the care plan, and the clinical decision support system to access current guidelines on the management of CHF thus ensuring adherence. Evaluating and combining the pieces of data required critical thinking, i.e. referring to past knowledge and experience and determining what was similar and different. It also required referral to EBP guidelines to ensure that no data, information, action, or intervention was omitted from consideration. The result was effective and appropriate nursing care based on an evaluation.

References

Moen, A., & Knudsen, L.M. (2013). Nursing informatics: Decades of contribution to health informatics. Healthcare Informatics Research, 19(2), 86-92. doi: 10.4258/hir.2013.19.2.86.
Topaz, M. (2013). The hitchhiker’s guide to nursing informatics theory: Using the data- knowledge-information-wisdom framework to guide informatics research. Online Journal of Nursing Informatics, 17(3). Retrieved from http://ojni.org/issues/?p=2852