Free Essay

Use of Statistical Information

In:

Submitted By Stokes2014
Words 1100
Pages 5
Uses of Statistical Information
Donna Ballard, RN
University of Phoenix
HCS/438
Statistics
Betty Jones, RN
July 7, 2015

Statistics is defined as “the science of collecting, organizing, and interpreting data” (Bennett, Briggs, & Triola, 2009). Statistics can be utilized in many ways within an organization such as acute care also referred to as hospitals. Each facility has a specific department identified as infection prevention or infection control. Infection control/prevention uses research and statistics to facilitate standardized care by implementing best practice measures through evidenced based practice. “Statistical information that is gathered is then used to help compare present and past performance, as a guide for planning future development, appraisal of work performed by healthcare staff, hospital or clinic finding, and research ( International Federation of Health Information Management Associations, 2012).
The purpose of this assignment is to identify how statistics are utilized within the infection control and prevention department at Sierra View Medical Center, identify one example of descriptive statistics, identify one example of inferential statistics, explain data at each of the four levels of measurement and describe the advantages of accurate interpretation of statistical information to improve decision making. The purpose of infection prevention and control is to put into place policies and procedures that minimize the spread of infections, especially in the hospital setting. The primary function of infection prevention and control surveillance is to reduce the occurrence of infections by using risk factors and implementation of risk-risk reduction measures and the effectiveness of interventions (Centers for Disease Control, 2012).
Central line associated blood stream infections, (CLABSI) and catheter related urinary tract infections, (CAUTI) are two examples of how statistics are utilized in the acute care setting. CLABSI and CAUTI are reported monthly to senior leadership. If an increase in the rate of infection is noted then specific interventions are implemented to reduce the rates and assists with identification of problem areas. Staff as well as patient education, possible increasing the monitoring of hand hygiene compliance and isolation review are just a few interventions utilized to specifically identify problem areas.

The term descriptive statistics is given to analysis of data which helps to describe, show, or summarize data in the meaningful way so that patterns may emerge from the data making it easier to visualize the information (Lund Research, 2013). Two types of statistics which are used to describe data are measures of central tendency and measures of spread. Measures of central tendency are a way of describing the central position of a frequency distribution for a collection of data (Lund Research, 2013). The measures of spread are a way to summarize a group of data by describing how the spread out of the scores are (Lund Research, 2013). In collecting data for CLABSI or CAUTI, descriptive statistics information may be narrowed down into type of infection, such as Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus Aureus, (MRSA) or Hospital Acquired Infection, (HAI). Identification of results of the number of infections that may have been present in various units in a particular time frame can then be presented in a visual display.
Bennett, Briggs, & Triola (2009) describe inferential statistics as dealing with inferring (or estimating) population parameters from sample data. Inferential statistics is a technique which allows the use of a population to make a generalization about the population from which the sample had been drawn (Lund Research, 2013). An example of inferential statistics within Sierra View Medical Center would be through patient satisfaction surveys as well as surveying the employees. This would provide data from numerous individuals and would represent the population as a whole. The results of this data would provide senior leadership a foundation to make a recommendation based upon the descriptive data.
Nominal, ordinal, interval and ratio are the four levels of measurement which are used in statistics. The nominal level of measurement is pieces of information that consists of name, labels, or categories and involves no ranking or ordering of data (Bennett, Briggs, & Triola, 2009). An example of this data would be use of medical record or account number as a form of patient identification. The data displayed id in no particular order and is completely random (Bennett, Briggs, & Triola, 2009). The ordinal level of measurement represents categorical data. The numbers that are assigned to categories with ordinal measures allow ranking from lowest to highest allowing the magnitude of the variable to be captures (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011).The use of Likert scales provide information at the ordinal level by using selections such as “satisfied”, “very satisfied”, “neither”, “dissatisfied”, or “very dissatisfied” when conducting surveys (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). The interval level is the next highest level and results from numeric data with equal and consistent mathematical values separating each measurement point (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). Ratio levels have the characteristics, the difference between interval and ratio is that interval level does not possess and absolute zero (Melnyk & Fineout-Overholt, 2011). When using interval level of measurement the data would need to indicate whether it has and increase or decrease. Example of ratio measurement would be the description of salaried levels.
Advantages of accurate interpretation of statistical information to improve decision making is essential to provide the highest quality of patient care as it relates to infection prevention and control. The primary responsibility of infection prevention and control is to use the data obtained and create proper policies and procedures that reduce the risk of patients acquiring an infection during their hospitalization. “At its most basic level, statistical quality control is rooted in the graphical and statistical analysis of process data for the purpose of understanding, monitoring, and improving process performance-general objectives that in essence are quite similar to those of epidemiology” (Benneyan, 1998).
In conclusion, statistics play a very important part for the success of any organization. Statistics assist the organization to show where improvements should or can be made and identify is the implementation working well or not.

References:
Bennett, J.O., Briggs, W.L., & Triola, M.F. (2009). Statistical Reasoning for Everyday Life (3rd Ed.). Boston, MA: Pearson Education Inc.
Benneyan, J.C. Statistical Quality Control Methods in Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, Part I: Introduction and Basic Theory. Infection Control and Hospital Epidemiology, 19(3), 194-214.
Centers for Disease Control.(2012) Retrieved from http://www.cdc.gov
Lund Research.(2013). Descriptive and Inferential Statistics. Retrieved from https://statistics.laerd.com/statistical-guides/descriptive-inferential-statistics.php
Melnyk,B.,& Fine-Overholt,E. (2011). Evidenced-based {Practiced in Nursing & Healthcare: A Guide to Best Practice (2nd Ed.) Lippincott Williams & Wilkins

Similar Documents

Free Essay

Uses of Statistical Information

...Uses of Statistical Information HCS/438 October25, 2010 Ray Harvey Uses of Statistical Information Statistics are an important part of any company or organization. Statistics can be used to measure just about anything within a company. Any chosen topic within an organization could have a statistical study done. Specific people within an organization are those that do the studies and post results of the statistics to inform other people within the organization. I work for a hospice organization that is non-profit and I am sure that they are constantly doing studies and tracking statistics of the patients and families that we provide care for daily. This paper will show some possible ways that this hospice organization can use descriptive and inferential statistics. Descriptive Statistics Descriptive statistics is using graphs to describe raw data from research and studies (Bennett, Briggs,& Triola, 2009). One area that we use descriptive statistics and that I can look at deals with patient and family satisfaction. Hospice surveys the patients and the patient’s families that we have taken care of and obtains feedback about the experience they had with hospice. Oftentimes this information comes from the family members because the patients usually pass away before we get this information. This is done with each home care and each inpatient unit that we have. The company takes the feedback for three months and comes up with the mean for those three months to let us know...

Words: 1005 - Pages: 5

Free Essay

Uses of Statistical Information

...Uses of Statistical Information Statistics are used throughout nursing daily, between evidence-based research and patient care. Quality improvement based statistics are done by using software such as IBM SPSS Statistics. Continuous quality improvement plans involve patient and staff satisfaction and safety protocols (such as the use of restraints and number of patient falls). Statistics are also used to determine how many cases of particular diseases there are in the hospital, to estimate incidence and prevalence and number of deaths in the hospital. Each unit is thorough with evaluating outcomes by performing a pre-test, audit on the charts, and a post-test along with another audit. Statistics Used Descriptive statistics are used in the workplace to describe and share specific data to get information, but not draw any conclusions. According to Bennett, Briggs, and Triola (2009), "descriptive statistics deals with describing raw data in the form of graphics and sample statistics" (p. 7). Some examples of descriptive study currently in place in a variety of areas are emergency room wait times, the number of homeless veterans being cared for and numbers of readmissions in the hospital. Wait times for the emergency room are averaged through the computer system from the time the patient checks into the time the patient is seen. The information collected is the age and ethnicity of the individual, and the amount of time spent waiting for care. This information is used within the...

Words: 978 - Pages: 4

Free Essay

Uses of Statistical Information Paper

...There are so many forms of data used where I work, that it is practically one way of describing what it is we do. Nursing and operating a hospital are so full of different uses of data that it is a challenge to break them down into individual uses. There is data used for budgeting, staffing, and supplies. Data is collected on demographics of the patient population. Data is measured constantly in patients; vital signs, lab values, and measurements of all sorts. We also conduct clinical trials in vast numbers collecting data on efficacy, treatment variation, modalities, and outcomes. 2. One example of descriptive statistics we use in our work place is yearly charts depicting prevalence of falls hospital wide. These charts are shown in a number of ways and are divided by unit so that each unit can be compared one with the other. Additionally, they have charts showing the yearly trends by unit and hospital-wide. They get fairly detailed on some of them showing specific categories of fall occurrence, for example; assisted vs. unassisted; Falls due to toileting; falls by time of day; falls by assessed risk category. This practice is highly effective and allows everyone to see where, when, and how falls are occurring. It also provides insight into how to go about reducing the instances. 3. Where I work we do use inferential statistics, in fact we apply it a lot. We administer chemotherapy and study its effects. We collect data from sample populations (trials) and based on the analysis...

Words: 710 - Pages: 3

Free Essay

Uses of Statistical Information in Medical Management

...the requests are forwarded to the managed care service contractor. We also monitor referral patterns, and identify trends relating to network leakage, network care recapture, continuity of care, and customer satisfaction. I work with a team of nurses who don’t work under a clinical directorate. We work under the business directorate. I help to decrease the government’s spending at my facility in particular, on healthcare costs and help to generate revenue in our facility. When purchased care costs are down, our revenue is up. If we see an opportunity to generate revenue in other ways we approach the directorate of business operations to see if we can implement a new plan. Descriptive Statistics According to "Basic Statistical Concepts for Nurses" (2011), “Descriptive statistics are techniques which help the investigator to organize, summarize and describe measures of a sample. Here no predictions or inferences are made regarding population parameters. Descriptive statistics are used to summarize observations and to place these observations within context. The most common descriptive statistics include measures of central tendency and measures of variability” (Descriptive Statistics). An example of descriptive statistics at my workplace occurs when we collect data to identify trends in care being redirected to the purchased...

Words: 1127 - Pages: 5

Premium Essay

Uses of Statistical Data

...TermPaperWarehouse.com - Free Term Papers, Essays and Research Documents The Research Paper Factory Join Search Browse Saved Papers Home Page » Other Topics Uses of Statistical Data In: Other Topics Uses of Statistical Data Uses of Statistical Information Darryl Lowery Statistical Applications/HCS438 February 28, 2012 Julieanne Hessler, RN MSN, MBA Introduction Statistics are used in every phase in the delivery of health care. This is particularly true as it relates to the cost of providing health care services (Eaton, 2006). At Mercy Medical Center, not unlike any other health care facility, the use of statistics is pervasive throughout the organization. First and foremost Mercy uses statistics to develop and maintain its financial imperatives (Minnis, 2008). Simply stated if actual cost of providing health care services exceeds the revenue generated the organization will have difficulty keeping its doors open. This paper will discuss examples of descriptive and inferential statistics in use at Mercy Medical Center. Also discussed will be how data at nominal, ordinal, interval, and ratio levels of measurement are used within the organization. Finally, the advantages of accurate interpretation of statistical data and improved decision making within the organization will be discussed. Descriptive Statistics An example of a descriptive statistic used at Mercy Medical Center is time spent by the Emergency...

Words: 491 - Pages: 2

Premium Essay

Statistical Databases

...Statistical Databases Jaideep Srivastava and Hung Q. Ngo, Department of Computer Science, University of Minnesota, 200 Union street, EE/CS Building, room 4-192, Minneapolis, MN 55455 e-mail: srivasta, hngo @cs.umn.edu, ¡   1 Introduction A statistical database management system (SDBMS) is a database management system that can model, store and manipulate data in a manner well suited to the needs of users who want to perform statistical analyses on the data. Statistical databases have some special characteristics and requirements that are not supported by existing commercial database management systems. For example, while basic aggregation operations like SUM and AVG are part of SQL, there is no support for other commonly used operations like variance and co-variance. Such computations, as well as more advanced ones like regression and principal component analysis, are usually performed using statistical packages and libraries, such as SAS [1] and SPSS [2]. From the end user’s perspective, whether the statistical calculations are being performed in the database or in a statistical package can be quite transparent, especially from a functionality viewpoint. However, once the datasets to be analyzed grow beyond a certain size, the statistical package approach becomes infeasible, either due to its inability to handle large volumes of data, or the unacceptable computation times which make interactive analysis impossible. With the increasing sophistication of data collection instrumentation...

Words: 11702 - Pages: 47

Free Essay

Statistical Uses

...Use of Statistical Information HCS/438 August 6, 2012 Use of Statistical Information Statistics is defined as “the science of collecting, organizing, and interpreting data” (Bennett, Briggs, & Triola, 2009). For most patients and their families, the process of healthcare appears simple. People with illnesses are admitted into a hospital facility and a specific course of treatment is identified and the care is carried out by a team of physicians, nurses, and social workers. What is not noticed is a specialized resource team aimed at keeping all patients safe throughout the course of their hospitalization. This paper will identify how statistics are utilized in the infection prevention setting, identify one example of descriptive statistics, identify one example of inferential statistics, explain data at each of the four levels of measurement and describe the advantages of accurate interpretation of statistical information to improve decision making in the workplace. How Are Statistics Used in Your Workplace There are many uses for statistical application in the field of infection prevention and control. The purpose of infection prevention and control is to put into place policies and procedures that minimize the spread of infections, especially in the hospital setting. The primary function of infection prevention and control surveillance is to reduce the occurrence of infections by using risk factors and implementation of risk-risk reduction measures and the...

Words: 957 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Knbs Data

...the entire national statistical system to enhance statistical production and utilization Herufi House, Lt. Tumbo lane P.O. Box 30266 – 00100 GPO Nairobi, Kenya Tel: +254-20-317583/86/88,317612/22/23/51 Fax: +254 – 20-315977 Email: info@knbs.or.ke Web: www.knbs.or.ke i WI-83-1-1 Preface Kenya National Bureau of Statistics (KNBS) is the principal agency of the Government for collecting, analysing and disseminating statistical data in Kenya. KNBS is the custodian of official statistical information and is mandated to coordinate all statistical activities, and the National Statistical System (NSS) in the country. Official statistics are data produced and disseminated within the scope of the Statistical Programme of the National Statistical System (NSS) in compliance with international standards. To achieve this mandate, KNBS strives to live up to the aspirations of its vision; to be a centre of excellence in statistics production and management. Chapter Four on The Bill of Rights section 35 of the new constitution in Kenya gives every citizen right of access to information held by the State. This policy document strives to provide a framework for availing statistical information to the public in conformity with this bill and government’s open data initiative. This policy also provides guidelines on the permitted usage of KNBS accessed data and definition of the nature of data files that will be released, the intended use of these files together...

Words: 3544 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Stat

...Ethical Guidelines for Statistical Practice Prepared by the Committee on Professional Ethics Approved by the Board of Directors, August 7, 1999 Executive Summary This document contains two parts: I. Preamble and II. Ethical Guidelines. The Preamble addresses A. Purpose of the Guidelines, B. Statistics and Society, and C. Shared Values. The purpose of the document is to encourage ethical and effective statistical work in morally conducive working environments. It is also intended to assist students in learning to perform statistical work responsibly. Statistics plays a vital role in many aspects of science, the economy, governance, and even entertainment. It is important that all statistical practitioners recognize their potential impact on the broader society and the attendant ethical obligations to perform their work responsibly. Furthermore, practitioners are encouraged to exercise "good professional citizenship" in order to improve the public climate for, understanding of, and respect for the use of statistics throughout its range of applications. The Ethical Guidelines address eight general topic areas and specify important ethical considerations under each topic. A. Professionalism points out the need for competence, judgment, diligence, self-respect, and worthiness of the respect of other people. B. Responsibilities to Funders, Clients, and Employers discusses the practitioner's responsibility for assuring that statistical work is suitable to the needs...

Words: 3764 - Pages: 16

Premium Essay

Application of Mis on Statistical Analysis

...180: Principles of Information Systems At the end of this course students should be able to: 1. Understand the importance of determining information system requirements for all management levels by developing an understanding of the differences between various types of information systems 2. Understand how information systems are developed 3. Understand the computer revolution and its impact on the way business is conducted 4. Become familiar with critical-thinking skills in identifying information systems problems and how to investigate existing literature about hardware and software solutions to problems. 5. Know the components and functions of computer systems, both hardware and software. 6. Become familiar with the advances in networking, data communications and the Internet and how they affect the way business is conducted. 7. Identify which information technology tools are used to solve various business problems. 8. Develop proficiency solving business problems using modern productivity tools (e.g., spreadsheet, database) or creating custom programs.   MIS 301: Statistical Analysis for Business At the end of this course students should be able to: 1. Use data from a sample to make inferences about a population. 2. Apply probability theory in decision making situations. 3. Formulate hypotheses for decision making and research. 4. Analyze data using appropriate statistical techniques. 5. Interpret the results of statistical analysis. 6. Present statistical results using graphics...

Words: 3623 - Pages: 15

Premium Essay

Statistics in Practice

...COMM 121 - Statistics in Practice Assignment Summary of Article (250 words) Companies use statistical tools to help express the research relevant to their specific industry. I have chosen the article ‘State of the Nation: Spotlight on online shopping’ to convey different types of statistical tools used in a typical business analysis. The article shows the growing trends in Australian consumerism, how the focus on Australian spending has moved from traditional ‘bricks and mortar’ to online spending and the effects it has on local businesses. The information presented is based around a survey of 50,000 Australians aged 14 and older. The main aspect of the article goes into depth on how the online purchases are being spent and were the money is being spent. This statement shows how the trend has moved away from traditional sources of shopping” online sales up 14.2% to $22.8 billion in the 12 months to June 2012, compared to a growth rate of only 3.3% in total retail sales and this is equivalent to 9% of total volume.” (R) this shows the contrast in spending between online and overall retail sales. The comparative difference in the two is significant, companies in Australia need to adapt to this new style of spending in order to remain relevant in the retail industry. Especially in the travel industry as 26.1% of all online spending is in some form related to the travel sector. “Around one third (32.9%) of the Australian population buys something online over an average four...

Words: 958 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Dbms Function

...interrupted. You need to explain to management what steps the DBMS will take to correct the database. Using the sample log in Figure 7-1 1, list and describe the updates that the DBMS will roll back if transaction 2 is interrupted at 8:10. In transaction 2, the DBMS started it at 8:01, added an Orders table record at 8:02, and added an Order Line table record at8:05 and added an Order Line table record at 8:09. To roll back the transaction, the DBMS deletes the three added records. 2. Occasionally, users at Premiere Products obtain incorrect results when they run queries that include built-in (aggregate, summary, or statistical) functions. The DBA told management that unrepeatable reads caused the problems. Use books, articles, and/or the Internet to research the unrepeatable read problem. Write a short report that explains the unrepeatable-read problem to management and use an example with y our explanation. (Unrepeatable reads are also called inconsistent retrievals, dirty reads, and inconsistent reads.) Unrepeatable-Read Problems occur many times when a different result is seen from the same query while still in progress. This usually happens when dealing with the UPDATE command by other transactions. An unrepeatable read (also called an inconsistent retrieval, dirty read, or inconsistent read) occurs when a user’s retrieval transaction reads a set of data that other users’ transactions have partially updated. For example, suppose Pat’s transaction involves calculating the total...

Words: 965 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Organizational Development Paper

...Running Head: ORGANIZATIONAL PSYCHOLOGY Organizational Psychology Paper June Forbes-Nixon PSY 428 21st March 2011 Facilitator - Maria Cuddy-Casey Defining Organizational Psychology Organizational psychology is a field that utilizes scientific methodology to better understand the behavior of individuals working in organizational settings. In principle, organizational psychology focuses on workplace, including its workers, and organizations that employ them. Organizational psychology gives hiring tests, study the best ways to train employees, investigate how to improve work conditions, and analyze how management and employees can get along better. Organizational psychology should be viewed as a science; it is based on scientific studies of behavior in both organization and laboratory settings. Organizational psychology is part of a broader field of study in its own right; however, it is actually part of the broader field of industrial/organizational psychology, (Jex & Britt, 2008). Industrial psychology is defined as the application of methods and principles of psychology to the workplace using scientific methods to study behavior in organizations. Industrial psychology deals with recruitment, selection, classification, compensation, performance appraisal and training of employees. Whereas, organizational psychology is concerned with socialization, motivation, occupational stress, leadership, group performance and organization development. Historically...

Words: 973 - Pages: 4

Premium Essay

Ffsfdghiufbdsbfdsnfnsdkjfbnd Ckjsdbn Cldnfc Lkdanf Hfkjdnfjdanfl

...House/Compositor: MPS Limited, a Macmillan Company Senior Rights Specialist: John Hill Senior Art Director: Stacy Jenkins Shirley Internal Designer: KeDesign/cmiller design Cover Designer: Cmiller design Cover Images: © iStock Photo © 2012, 2009 South-Western, a part of Cengage Learning ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. No part of this work covered by the copyright herein may be reproduced, transmitted, stored or used in any form or by any means graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including but not limited to photocopying, recording, scanning, digitizing, taping, Web distribution, information networks, or information storage and retrieval systems, except as permitted under Section 107 or 108 of the 1976 United States Copyright Act, without the prior written permission of the publisher For product information and technology assistance, contact us at Cengage Learning Customer & Sales Support, 1-800-354-9706 For permission to use material from this text or product, submit all requests online at www.cengage.com/permissions Further permissions questions can be emailed to permissionrequest@cengage.com ExamView® and ExamView Pro® are registered trademarks of FSCreations, Inc. Windows is a registered trademark of the Microsoft Corporation used herein under license. Macintosh and Power Macintosh are registered trademarks of Apple Computer, Inc. used herein under license. Library of...

Words: 6557 - Pages: 27

Premium Essay

Business Statistics Demystified

...Except as permitted under the United States Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced or distributed in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher. 0-07-147107-3 The material in this eBook also appears in the print version of this title: 0-07-144024-0. All trademarks are trademarks of their respective owners. Rather than put a trademark symbol after every occurrence of a trademarked name, we use names in an editorial fashion only, and to the benefit of the trademark owner, with no intention of infringement of the trademark. Where such designations appear in this book, they have been printed with initial caps. McGraw-Hill eBooks are available at special quantity discounts to use as premiums and sales promotions, or for use in corporate training programs. For more information, please contact George Hoare, Special Sales, at george_hoare@mcgraw-hill.com or (212) 904-4069. TERMS OF USE This is a copyrighted work and The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. (“McGraw-Hill”) and its...

Words: 27869 - Pages: 112