Introduction
This presentation will discuss the concept of a knowledge worker. It explains nursing informatics and discusses the role of a nurse leader as a knowledge worker. In addition, I will present the hypothetical scenario that might benefit from the collection and application of data. I will explore the data that can be used, how it might be collected, and the knowledge derived from the data.
Concept of a Knowledge Worker
A knowledge worker plays a key role in the organization in generating knowledge. They obtain, maneuver, interpret and apply information to carry out multidisciplinary, complex organizational work (Field & Chan, 2018). Besides, knowledge workers analyze data and use their expertise to address problems, generate ideas, and develop new products and services.
Knowledge work is often complex, and knowledge workers need certain skills, abilities, and acquaintance with factual and theoretical knowledge (Field & Chan, 2018). Therefore, knowledge workers must obtain, access, recall, and apply data, interact well with others, and have the ability and motivation to obtain and enhance these skills.
Knowledge workers’ roles include making decisions whereby they work with ideas. Their duties focus on intellectual rather than physical power and are characterized by non-repetitive tasks (Field & Chan, 2018). In addition, they use various methods and techniques to address problems and are authorized to decide what work methods to employ to complete their job tasks. Knowledge workers include: scientists, professionals, educators, and information system designers.
Nursing Informatics
Nursing informatics is a specialty that incorporates nursing science with analytical sciences and information management. It seeks to discover, define, manage, and convey data, information, and knowledge in nursing practice (Moore et al., 2020). Nursing informatics supports nurses, the interprofessional health care team, healthcare consumers, patients, and stakeholders in decision-making in various roles and settings to attain desired outcomes. It supports this through information structures, processes, and technology (Moore et al., 2020).
Nursing informatics skills are applied to:
Create data structures and software tools to support nursing practice (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017).
Keep EHR in line with best practices for data management, processing, and organization.
Apply analytics in evaluating and facilitating nursing processes (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017).
Facilitate communication among healthcare and IT professionals.
Train providers on the best use of EHRs and CDSS (McGonigle & Mastrian, 2017).
Role of a Nurse Leader as a Knowledge Worker
Nurse leaders are knowledge workers. Nurse leader competencies at the organization or system level are connected to knowledge management. Nurse leaders’ roles as knowledge workers include: Facilitating organizational learning by supporting nurses as they find, share, and develop knowledge to advance nursing practice. Developing and improving knowledge worker skills aligned to obtaining and analyzing data and examining clinical trends and patterns (Carroll, 2019).
They develop innovative approaches to improve access to health care, improve the quality of care, and reduce healthcare costs.
Nurse leaders focus on utilizing technology and developing electronic systems that will enhance data collection and analysis (Carroll, 2019).
Nurse leaders analyze data to establish information that is valuable in enhancing the delivery of patient care and improving the quality of care and health outcomes (Carroll, 2019).
Hypothetical Scenario
Patient falls among geriatrics is a hypothetical scenario that would benefit from collecting and applying data in our healthcare organization. They result in severe injuries on patients, such as head trauma and fractures, which prolong hospital stay and increase healthcare costs (Venema et al., 2019). Data that could be used in relation to patient falls include the number of patient falls and common conditions of patients who suffer falls (Lucero et al., 2019). In addition, data on the length of hospitalization from falls and patient costs incurred from falls can be used to address the issue of falls.
Patient falls data can be collected from patients’ records and a hospital’s incidence reporting system (Lucero et al., 2019). The data can provide knowledge on patients’ at the highest risk of falls and the factors that put patients at risk of falls in the inpatient units. Data on the diseases with the highest falls can offer insight into the patients’ conditions that health providers should take additional mea
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