Information Management

Information about each individual's health care status is becoming readily available in electronic data bases. For many years these large data bases have been available for specific populations of patients (kidney dialysis, cancer tumor and chemotherapy protocol outcomes, parenteral and enteral nutrition support) and for other groups (Medicaid and Medicare). These data bases have allowed information to be compared on outcomes from different treatments and on costs of care. Nurses are needed who can assist in directing appropriate data comparisons, specifying the data needed to be gathered for information systems and designing nursing interventions to guide care based on data. To read more about information based nursing care refer to the following references:

Grower, R. Hillegass, B., and Nelson, Fran (1996). Case management: Meeting the needs of chronically ill patients in an HMO. Managed Care Quarterly, 4(2), 46-57.

Hanchak, N.A., Murray, J.F., Hirsch, A., McDerrmott, P.D., and Schlackman. (1996). USQA Health Profile Database as a tool for health plan quality improvement. Managed Care Quarterly, 4(2), 58-69.

Lamb, G.S., Mahn, V., and Dahl, R. (1996). Using data to design systems of care for adults with chronic illness. Managed Care Quarterly, 4(2)., 46-53.

Read this paper presented at a National NINR conference on the patient databases and their potential use in establishing the value of nursing care. http://www.nih.gov/ninr/POR_Conf/mcphillips.pdf (note: you will need the FREE Adobe Acrobat Reader)