Ethical Data Sets

A data set is a collection of data that is defined using uniform definitions. The two purposes of data sets are to first identify the information collected and then to provide a uniform definition for the common terms used. Data sets make information comparable from multiple organizations. The uniform hospital discharge data set was developed in order to define common, uniform data elements and are then collected from inpatient records to be stored in a national database. The uniform ambulatory care data set was developed to track patients that received medical and surgical care and were discharged the same day. The resident assessment instrument and minimum data set is used to collect patient demographics and clinical data for every resident

1. Aggregate data can be used to detect patterns or similarities from numerous groups of patients which help healthcare providers determine plan of care or prevention of illnesses and better management of disease processes. Aggregate data can help patients and physicians keep track of vital signs and blood sugar on a daily basis so if there is a need for a different dose or type of medication, it is caught and corrected early. Aggregate data can also be used in research as specific information can easily be drawn from a large data bank for analytics and research purposes. Disadvantages of aggregate data include some patients not being able to interpret the information gathered and sometimes platforms for which patients may use to access their information may not be user friendly which in turn limits patient’s participation in their

The data in these databases help in managing care plans, research projects, and creating reports for the different departments within a health care facility.

Value the rights of patients to whom you will need to obtain and use their health data to collaborate in their own care with other clinicians and physicians.

Knowing the hospital data on specific nursing-sensitive indicators could greatly help with patient care in a hospital. If your hospital has a high incidence of falls, the data collected on the falls can help the nurses and staff to understand why the falls happen. Is it because they have a high population of elderly patients? If so what is the hospital doing to counteract the incidences of falls? What measures have they put in place to decrease the incidence of falls? The same can be done with pressure ulcers. The staff can look at the data collected and get an idea of why the

Will reporting this data have an impact on hospitals bottom line in addition to financial penalties from CMS? Give at least two examples of how this data may be used and what type of impact if may have if at all on the hospitals.

One of the big disadvantages is the potential for misuse of the information. An example of misuse is the Breach of HIPAA policies. While working in the military health environment in Spain, there were many times that someone I knew socially was a patient in the clinic. One such encounter netted a good friend’s whose husband was treated for an STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) and was prompted to notify all his sexual partners. His wife did not come in for a visit; which caused a moral dilemma, questioning what to do; I spoke with the treating physician and voiced my concerns. The physician took charge and the appropriate action was completed, thereby avoiding a HIPAA violation. In the wrong hands medical information can be abused. The stringent punishment for HIPPA violations has curtailed the misuse of information and limited the public outcries for help. According to the AMA a person can be charged with both “civil and criminal

Some data that might be considered sensitive is maybe if one had an illness that almost cost them their life or an injury or an accident or the death of a loved one due to illness. I do feel that this data should be shared differently. I feel like this type of data should have its own set of opt in and opt out system because this is data that could be very sensitive to a patient and should be treated with care. Although this data can be helpful in diagnosing problems or treatments, I feel that they should not be talked about casually if they are talked about, they should be spoken of with just the doctor and the patient and whomever else the patient wishes to hear the sensitive data and that is it. As long as this data is handled with care and not taken lightly, it will not be a problem.

Benefits Increase quality of care Bedside charting access Ability to access your patients records at one time All information in one place

The health record is a collection of information about a patient’s past and present health. The primary purpose of the health record is to document the health history of the patient. It helps in patient care management and patient care support process. Moreover, record’s primary purpose is to get information for billing and reimbursement. The secondary purpose of the health record is to provide a legal record of care given and act as a source of data to support clinical audit, research, resource allocation, performance monitoring, epidemiology and service planning. Sometimes health information will be de-identified before it is used for these secondary

of the risks that come along with the start up. Medical records of all patients which are seen is

Health Information, therefore, is not just the patient data but the presentation of this data in a useful form and

Once data is collected it can be used by numerous health care providers and decision makers to monitor the health and needs of individuals and populations, as well as contribute to the analysis of the health system. Users including hospitals, health care practitioners, government, professional associations, researchers, media, students, and the general public. Having the correct and up-to-date coded data is critical, not only for the delivery of high-quality clinical care, but also for continuing health care, maintaining health care at an optimum level, for clinical and health service research, and planning and management of

More people are also able to break into records and steal information, for example hackers. There are more known errors to occur. If your health care provider does not enter the correct information, the information remains in the health record until it is corrected.

Answering the question asked is complicated, informatics provide so many benefits to streamlining data and access. Storing data in accessible areas is always worrisome due to identity theft. Visiting clinics initially always require name, address, DOB, social security number, and insurance information. Information such as this is exactly what criminals are looking for. Though this was my initial issue, I was unable to find any data to support identity theft as a possible issue.