database design proposal

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Module 1/Discussion question 1

Consider the following scenario: You are in a hospital setting with various departments such as admissions, emergency, radiology, pharmacy, etc. As mentioned in the module readings, one factor that makes health care such a complex field is that there are numerous types of health care data spanning a broad spectrum Below are some pertinent questions that are essential to a data management professional in relation to data.

Summarize your responses to these questions and post your summary into the Discussion Forum. Compare your ideas with those of your colleagues.

1) What types of data might be found in the environment mentioned above?

2) What would be their categories in terms of data type and how will the data be collected?

3) What would be the rationale why the data is categorized in that manner?

4) What would be some of the appropriate strategies that can be utilized to deal with the management of any barriers, facilitators, and challenges during the data collection process and analysis?

5) Which are some of the areas that will require improvement?

6) What will be the potential benefits of the improvement in these areas?

7) Why do you think this modification has not been previously made?

Note: For this discussion question, review Module 1 Readings and apply your personal or work experiences.

My Reply

In a hospital setting with various departments, a number of data can be accessed and retrieved within the different departments. Clinical data is a staple resource for most health and medical research. Clinical data is either collected during the course of ongoing patient care or as part of a formal clinical trial program. Clinical data falls into six major types; Electronic health records; Administrative data ; Claims data ; Disease registries ; Health surveys ; Clinical trials data . Clinical research data may be available through national or discipline-specific organizations. Level of access is likely restricted but available through proper channels. Electronic health record is the purest type of electronic clinical data which is obtained at the point of care at a medical facility, hospital, clinic or practice. Often referred to as the electronic medical record (EMR), the EMR is generally not available to outside researchers. The data collected includes administrative and demographic information, diagnosis, treatment, prescription drugs, laboratory tests, hospitalization, patient insurance, etc. Administrative date is often associated with electronic health records; these are primarily hospital discharge data reported to a government agency like AHRQ. Claims data describe the billable interactions (insurance claims) between insured patients and the healthcare delivery system. Claims data falls into four general categories: inpatient, outpatient, pharmacy, and enrollment. The sources of claims data can be obtained from the government (e.g., Medicare) and/or commercial health firms (e.g., United HealthCare).

Module 1/ Discussion question 2

Compare traditional paper health records to electronic records. What can one do that the other cannot? Some of the formats of electronic data include spreadsheets and databases. What are some of the trade-offs between using a spreadsheet versus a database to record, analyze, and retrieve data in a health care setting?

My Reply

Electronic health records (EHR) reduce redundancies across healthcare providers and allows the assembly of a complete patient history record. Integrated through the continuum of care, health information exchange (HIE) is becoming more important as hospitals across the nation begin to attest to Meaningful Use of EHRs. Paper based records dispersed across different medical facilities are often incomplete, contributing to unnecessary, repeat testing and treatment. Dispersed records are also inefficient because new providers have to retrieve a patient’s charts and notes from multiple offices. EHR reduces redundancies across healthcare providers and allow the assembly of a complete record of patient history in one easily accessible file. A complete patient record in digital format makes it easier to generate longitudinal reports that can improve extended care. Paper record systems waste valuable time because staff has to transfer record by fax or mail. With HER, exchanging information is faster because staff can skip the retrieval and faxing process and transfer record electronically. Doctor’s access to paper medical record is limited by location and office hours. This can impact a patient’s health in unusual circumstances. Web-based EHR provides 24/7 access to patient record and lab results from any location with internet access.