DATA

PROCESSING

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems

 Data - raw uninterrupted facts that are without meaning

e.g. a patient’s weight is recorded as 140 lb

When data is interpreted , information is produced. While

data are meaningless, information by definition is
meaningful.
For data to be interpreted and information produced, the
data must be processed.
This means that the data are organized so that patterns and
relationship between the data can be identified.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Approaches to organizing data:

◌Sorting
◌Classifying
◌Summarizing
◌Calculating
e.g. students notes & handouts,
checkbook
NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

What is a database?
Database is an organized collection of related data.
e.g. placing notes in folders and folders in file cabinets &
phonebook

NURSING INFORMATICS
 Four factors in finding information in the database:

 how the data are named (indexed)

and organized
the size and complexity of the
database
 the type of data within the
database
 the methodology or tools used to
research the database
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Information systems are used to process data

and produce information.
 The systematic approach used to name, organize & store data
in a database has a major impact on how easy it is to find
information in the database.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Types of Data
Two primary approaches in classifying data in a
database system:
 classified in terms of how these data will be used by
the user
e.g. financial data, patient data or human resource data
 classified by their computerized data type
e.g. data can be numbers or letters or combination of both

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Computer-Based Data Types

 alphanumeric data – includes letters & numbers in any
combination
e.g. address, social security number, memo – a specific type of
alphanumeric data

 numeric data are used to perform numeric functions

format options – the number of digits after the decimal or the presence
of commas in a number
- it can be long integer, currency, scientific
date & time are special types of numeric data

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

 logic data are limited to two options

e.g. YES or NO, TRUE or FALSE, 1 or 2, and ON or OFF

Conceptual Data Types

 reflect how users view data
 based on the source of the data
 based on the event that the data are attempting to
capture.
e.g. image data from x-ray, lab data, assessment data, intervention data and
outcome data

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Database Management Systems (DBMS)

- computer programs used to input, store, modify,
process, and access data in a database.
 Before a DBMS can be used, a DBM
software must first be configured to
manage the data specific to the
project.

 This process of configuring the

database software is called database
system design
NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

DBMS interacting parts

Data
DBMS configured software program
Query language used to access the
data

Advantages of Automated DBMS

Decrease data redundancy
Increase data consistency
Improve access to all data

NURSING INFORMATICS
 Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Fields, Records, and Files

ID FNAME LNAME ADDRESS 1 ADDRESS 2 CITY ST
01 Betty Smith SRU School 20 North St. Texas TX
02 Leslie Brown DBMS College 408 Same St. NY NY
03 Doris Jones Party Place 5093 Butler LA LA
St.
04 Glenn Clark ICI Institute 987 Red St. PH PH
record
field attribute field

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

 Field attribute is the specific datum for that field for that
record.
 Each row represents a record.
 Each row is assigned a primary identifier.
 A primary identifier is unique to that record.
 A file is defined as a set of related records that have the
same data fields.
To summary, a database is made up of files, files are made
up of records, records are made up of fields, and fields
contain data.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Types of Files
Processing Files :
 executable files consists of a computer program or set of
instructions that, when executed, causes the computer to
open or start a specific computer program or function

 these are the files that tell a computer what actions a

computer should perform when running a program.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Command files are a set of instructions that perform a set of

functions as opposed to running a whole program.

A batch file contains a set of operating system commands.

e.g. SET UP. EXE, AUTOEXEC.BAT,CONFIG.SYS

 Data Files - contain data that have been captured and

stored on a computer using a software program
e.g. document created in MS Word with the extension .DOC

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Database Models
A database system provides access to both the data
in the database and to the interrelationship within
and between the various data elements.

Conceptual Models
 includes diagram and narrative description of the
data elements, their attributes and the relationships
between the data.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Conceptual Models
- it defines the structure of the whole database in terms
of the attributes of the entities (data elements)
relationships, constraints and operations.

Dose 1 Amoxicillin 500 mg q

8hrs. Times 10 days Dose
30

Dose Dose 6
2 Dose 3
Dose Dose 5
4

NURSING INFORMATICS
 Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Examples:
Individual
Individual
medication
patient
order

One-to-one relationship

Medication Order Medication Administration

Medication Name Medication Name

Dose Dose
Frequency Time
Route Route
One-to-many relationship
NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Structural or Physical Data Models

There are four primary approaches:

 Hierarchical
 Network
 Relational Database Models
 Object-Oriented Model

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Hierarchical
-have been compared
to inverted trees. All
access to data starts at
the top of the
hierarchy or at the
root. The table at the
root will have
pointers called
branches that will
point to tables with
data that relate
hierarchically to the
root.
NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Network
-developed from hierarchical models, the child note is
not limited to one parent making it possible for a network
model to represent many-to-many relationships.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Relational Database
Models
-consists of a series of
files set up as tables.
Each column represents
an attribute , and each
row is a record. The
intersection of the row
and the column is a cell.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Defining Data, Databases, Information & Information
Systems (continued)

Object-Oriented Model
- developed because the relational model has a
limited ability to deal with binary large objects or
BLOBS, these are complex data types such as
images, sounds, spreadsheets, or text messages.
The entity and the attributes are stored within an
object.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Database Life Cycle

The development and use of a DBMS follow a

systematic process called the life cycle of a
database system.

 Initiation - occurs when a need or problem is identified

and the development of a DBMS is seen as a potential
solution

NURSING INFORMATICS
Planning And Analysis

The step begins with an assessment of the users view and

the development of the conceptual model.

what information…?
how does…?

Diagrams and narrative reports will be used to describe the

data elements, their attributes, and the overall ideal
information flow in the conceptual model

NURSING INFORMATICS
Detailed Systems Design

- It begins with the selection of the physical model.

• Data entry screens & the format for all output reports
will be carefully designed.
• Revisions are to be expected.

Implementation
- includes training the users, testing the system,
developing a procedure manual for use of the system

NURSING INFORMATICS
Detailed Systems Design(continued)

Evaluation and Maintenance

The 1st evaluations should be informal & focus more on
troubleshooting specific problems.

Common Database Operations

i. Data input
ii. Data processing
iii. Data output

NURSING INFORMATICS
Detailed Systems Design(continued)

Data Input Operations

- used to enter new data, update data in the system, or
change/modify data in the DBMS
o common errors involves inconsistent data entry format

Data Processing Processes

- DBMS directed actions that the computer performs on the data once
entered into the system
e.g. OLTP( Online transaction processing) that supports day-to-day
operation of the institution.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Detailed Systems Design(continued)

Data Output Operations

- includes online and written reports
Reports that are clear and concise help the reader see the information
in the data. On the other hand, poorly designed reports can mislead
and confuse the reader.
The development of a database system within a department
serves 2 important purposes:
a. Both the developers & the users create a new level of
knowledge and skills
b. As individual departments develop databases, institutional
data are being created

NURSING INFORMATICS
The Development of Data Warehouses

Data Warehouse
- is defined as a large collection of data imported from
several different systems within one database.
-smaller collections of data are referred to as data marts.
- Bill Immon, the father of the data warehouse concept,
defined a data warehouse as a subject-oriented,
integrated, time variant, nonvolatile collection of data
used to support the management decision-making
process.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Purposes of a Data Warehouse

 A data warehouse makes it possible to separate the

analytical and operational processing.

 With this separation the architectural design of the data

warehouse is designed to support decisional information
needs.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Functions of a Data Warehouse

i. Must be able to extract data from various computer

systems and import that data into the data warehouse.

ii. Must function as a database able to store and process

all of the data in the database.

iii. Must be able to deliver the data in the warehouse back

to the users on the form of information.

NURSING INFORMATICS
Functions of a Data Warehouse (continued)

It support a number of activities:

1. Decision support for caregivers at the point of care

2. Outcome measurements and quality improvement
3. Clinical research and professional education
4. Reporting to external agencies
5. Market trend analysis and strategic planning
6. Health services management and process reengineering
7. Targeted outreach to patients, professionals, and other
community groups

NURSING INFORMATICS
Data to Knowledge (D2K)

The process of extracting information and knowledge from

large-scale databases has been referred to as knowledge
discovery and data mining (KDD) or D2K applications.
The CRISP-DM model describes the life cycle of a
data mining project in six phases:
 Understanding the business
 Understanding the data
 Data preparation
 Modeling
 Evaluation
 Deployment

NURSING INFORMATICS
 The Nursing Context

Wisdom
Understanding,
Applying,
Knowledge applying with
compassion
Increasing complexity

Interpreting,
Integrating,
understanding
Information
Organizing,
Data Interpreting
Naming,
Collecting
and organizing

Increasing interactions and inter-relationships

NURSING INFORMATICS