Data analytic 1 for healthcare Decision making 1

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Getting Started With Assessment #1: Descriptive Statistics and Data Visualizations

Lecture: Quantitative Descriptive Statistics

This lecture covers the fundamental concepts of quantitative descriptive statistics essential for your first assessment. Understanding these concepts is crucial as they form the backbone of statistical analysis in healthcare management. Descriptive statistics help summarize and describe the characteristics of a dataset, providing a comprehensive overview of the data at hand.

Mean The mean, or average, is one of the most common measures of central tendency. It is calculated by summing all the values in a dataset and dividing them by the number of observations. The mean provides a general idea of the dataset’s central point but can be influenced by extreme values (outliers).

Median The median is the middle value in a dataset when the values are arranged in ascending or descending order. If there is an even number of observations, the median is the average of the two middle numbers. Unlike the mean, the median is not affected by outliers and provides a better central value when dealing with skewed distributions.

Mode The mode is the value that appears most frequently in a dataset. A dataset may have one mode (unimodal), more than one mode (multimodal), or no mode at all. The mode is particularly useful for categorical data where we wish to know the most common category.

Standard Deviation The standard deviation measures the amount of variation or dispersion in a dataset. A low standard deviation indicates that the data points are close to the mean, whereas a high standard deviation signifies that the data points are spread out over a wider range. The standard deviation is a critical tool for understanding the spread and variability of data.

Range The range is the difference between the maximum and minimum values in a dataset. It provides a simple measure of the overall spread of the data but does not account for how the data is distributed within that range.

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Download Assessment 1 Data Set [XLSX].

The data set contains the following variables:

• Utilization (average number of patient days per month). • Satisfaction (patient satisfaction scores percentile rank). • Readmissions (readmission rate per month).

Histogram A histogram is a graphical representation of the distribution of a dataset. It is a type of bar chart that shows the frequency of data points within specified intervals (bins). Histograms are useful for visualizing the shape, central tendency, and variability of the data, and can help identify patterns, trends, and potential outlier

Application in Healthcare Management In the context of healthcare management, these descriptive statistics are invaluable for analyzing various metrics such as utilization rates, patient satisfaction scores, and readmission rates. For instance, calculating the mean satisfaction score from patient surveys can provide an overall sense of patient satisfaction, while the standarddeviation can highlight the variability in patient experiences. Histograms can visually depict the distribution of these scores, helping identify areas needing improvement.

When conducting your assessment, you will utilize the Data Analysis ToolPak in Excel to compute these statistics. Ensure you properly label your histograms and interpret the results in the context of healthcare management. Your goal is to provide actionable insights based on the data, supporting your management recommendations with solid statistical evidence. By mastering these fundamental descriptive statistics, you will be well-equipped to analyze and interpret healthcare data, thereby making informed decisions that enhance patient care and organizational performance.

If you have any questions regarding these notes or need further clarification, please contact me or the course graduate assistants. Good luck with your assessment!

Assessment Step by Step

• STEP 1: ToolPak. Add the MS Excel Data Analytic ToolPak to your Excel spreadsheet so that you may run the statistical tests required for the course. All statistics are run using this <add-in> software module, which allows you to do multiple statistics using one function.

o Installing the Data analysis ToolPak: Biostatistics Resource Channel. (2014). How to use Excel-Installing the Analysis ToolPak. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JDbgGjxGSsw

• STEP 2: Read Assessment Instructions. Download your data in Excel to run your

quantitative analysis after you have reviewed and read the resources and the criteria in the scoring guide.

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• STEP 3: Resource Materials. Read and review all resources on descriptive statistics.

• STEP 4: Statistics. Run your Statistics in ToolPak on a single column or data [Utilization, Satisfaction, or Readmissions]. Click <data>, then <data analysis> [upper right-hand side of Excel navigation bar], then run Descriptive Statistics in your ToolPak. Note: (optional) If you wish to run more than one dataset, you will need to run them separately, resulting in three individual data tables. You will choose one of the data set results, copy it from Excel, and paste special as a spreadsheet or picture it into the body of your MS Word action plan paper so have a clean format for your output table. Also, you will then be able to refer to your table as your write.

o Descriptive Statistics: Biostatistics Resource Channel. (2014). How to use Excel-The Descriptive Statistics tool. YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vIXROmgEZ1g

• STEP 5: Histograms. Histograms may also be run in ToolPak. However, you must

create them using one individual data set [Utilization, Satisfaction, or Readmissions]. Note: (optional) If you wish to run all three histograms, they also must be done individually, which will produce three different histograms since each data set has significantly different units.

o Ensure proper labeling of histograms, including a descriptive title in the heading

and clear labels on both the x (horizontal) and y (vertical) axes. Please refer to the example in Figure 1.

Figure 1: Graph Template for Guidance on Labeling the X and Y Axes

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For this case, note: The healthcare system administrators need to assess the performance of the nursing home. You have been asked to analyze nursing home performance in meeting the objectives of lower utilization, higher patient satisfaction, and lower readmissions. Based on your data analysis, recommend an plan of action for improvement plan for the nursing home.

o You must have consistent bins (intervals/ranges). Your histogram "bins" are

data ranges for the x-axis. Bins are intervals of your data. Consider bins like "buckets" or ranges, i.e., 0-20, 21-40, 41-60, 61-80, or>100.

• STEP 6: Action Plan APA 7 Format:

Professional Action Plan. This class focuses on using healthcare data and statistics for management decision-making. So, your narrative is equally important as your statistical results. For this first assessment, your paper will be an action plan for improvement of your chosen metric and based on your interpretation of the statistical findings. You want to showcase your data and propose management recommendations to your organizational leadership. So, with that said, produce a professional, well-organized, but concise paper covering all important points clearly. Being succinct and complete in your analysis and recommendations shows respect for leadership's time and will be more effective in the decision-making process. A thorough, effective outline of your paper should look like the following:

1. APA 7 Title Page. 2. Introduction: What the paper is about? 3. Data Presentation: What tests were run and why? Copy and paste the

statistics table and histogram in the body of the paper, with an APA table description, and APA figure description.

4. Findings: Interpretation of Results—explanation of statical findings. Find a benchmark in the literature or primary sources to compare. Is your result good, poor, or within industry standards?

5. Action Plan Recommendations: Rationale of results that influenced your management recommendations?

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6. References: A minimum of three or preferably more scholarly references to

support all major concepts, dates, numbers and statistics. Use evidence- based journalarticles, primary sources (.gov, .org, .edu), or scholarly (professional statistics sites).