Systems Analysis, Essay Example

Serious data collection mistakes

Data collection in system analysis is crucial to electronic clinical record systems. According to Matthew B. Weinger, Jason Slagle, Sonia Jain, and Nelda Ordonez (2003) ensuring patient safety must always be the focus of data collection in systems analysis. This can only be achieved when data collection mistakes are avoided. As such, clinical events must be carefully scrutinized for serious mistakes. These include identifying relevant data to be collected within various system analysis programs; correct coding of data for entry and utilizing an inappropriate reporting system to record data (Weinger, Slagle, Jain, and Ordonez, 2003).

Implications of serious mistakes

Important implications of serious data collection mistakes relate to patient safety. There are voluntary and mandatory data collection system analyses programes. When data collectors do not identify the correct program to enter, for example, laboratory results, under or over-reporting may occur. Voluntary reporting is optional whereas mandatory data reporting is essential for making diagnostic evaluations. Hence, patient safety is compromised; while entering incorrect coding within the system analysis program affects patient safety in the sense of billing issues (Weinger et,al, 2003).

Transference of data from one system to the next would become difficult or impossible affecting patient safety. Also data quality would be compromised. There are various reporting programs into which data collected must be transferred within the system analysis framework. When data is transferred into a program not designed for that particular type of data faulty analysis will occur. Ultimately wrong messages will be entered when decision making alerts are requested (Weinger et. al, 2003).

Measures taken to avoid serious data collection errors

Standardization has been recommended as one of the ways to avoid serious errors. Staff training and upgrading computer skills within the organization is another method that can be used to improve accuracy in data collection strategies in an electronic health record system. Specifically, it must be noted that data entry techniques is a skill, which must be mastered in collecting healthcare data  (Jesse  & Kloss, 2007).

References

Jesse, W., & Kloss, L. (2007). Health Care Data Collection and Reporting and Rep. American Health Information Management Association (AHIMA).

Weinger, B. Jason Slagle, J. Jain, S., & Ordonez, N. (2003). Retrospective data collection and analytical techniques for patient safety. Journal of Biomedical Informatics 36 (2003) 106–119