Introduction
Statistics is an important subject that is widely used in the practice of the healthcare system. It stands for different necessities that nurses, doctors, and other medical professionals face when working with patients or deciding on a diagnosis. Statistics is widely used to analyze patient symptoms and research innovative approaches and product tests. As a future nurse, this paper will review the implementation of statistical data from the nursing perspective. This paper will review the importance of statistics in healthcare from the perspective of quality, safety, health promotion, and leadership.
Quality
The topic of quality in statistics can be reviewed from the perspective of deciding the diagnoses. The quality of these decisions directly depends on the statistical analysis. Fowler et al. (2021) state that knowing statistics is essential when evaluating or making reports or for another similar type of literature. In the case of low statistical literacy, the professional will fail to acknowledge the necessary patterns presented in the information that will directly affect the quality of treatment. For nursing, the data obtained and reported to the doctor will directly affect the measurements and tools to use for the operation, such as the use of antibiotics or opioid drugs.
Another important aspect is the quality improvement of the healthcare system. According to Kaur et al. (2018), hospitals use statistical analysis to evaluate the performance and provide improvement in the efficiency of staff. The decision-making concerning quality improvement directly depends on the statistical analysis and is essential for other concerns like budget constraints or allocation of medical resources for each department in the hospital.
The statistical data for specific fields, like nursing, can be essential in providing quality improvement studies. The collected data for a sample of variables, like the likelihood of a practical holistic care approach, uses statistical analysis to find the correlation. Statistical literacy is the standard tool for doctors, nurses, hospital administration, and other professionals.
Safety
As safety concerns are vital in healthcare, statistics also play an essential role. For any product and factor tests, a statistical analysis is made. Fowler et al. (2018) note that statistics do not prove anything but show the likelihood of results. Statistics are used to collect data, like independent and dependent variables, or make samples based on demographics or other categories. The statistical analysis helps to measure and find the correlation between different factors among the sample taken to study. This also directly concerns the field of nursing.
In nursing, knowing how to present the data to other professionals, like doctors in charge of the patient, is essential. For this process to be as efficient as possible, there is a vital necessity in statistics. Heavey (2022) states that nurses must know the basics of statistical presenting data in histograms, bar charts, or frequency distribution. This directly affects the patient’s safety since the doctor’s understanding of the data is the nurse’s responsibility.
Health Promotion
Statistics play a role in presenting and collecting data regarding health promotion. Haber (2019) uses the objectives of the leading health promotion program in us – Healthy People 2030, which are taken through statistical measures. The percentage and baseline of obese people, as well as people with other diseases, is shown as a goal for achieving health promotion. Health promotion can be done indirectly through statistical measures in specific fields, like nursing.
Nurses can use research and statistical correlation studies to explain the consequences of unhealthy lifestyles and other sedentary habits. Haber (2019) also describes the definitions of disability and chronic conditions set by the US Census Bureau through statistical representation to show the likelihood of people over 65 having some disability or chronic disease. Regarding health promotion, it stood out to be essential to share a healthy lifestyle among the aging population and to change the correlation of programs by this global phenomenon.
Leadership
Leadership in the healthcare system can be explained through different means and necessities, either in group work or team assessment. Nicola et al. (2020) assessed leadership in the healthcare system as a response to the COVID-19 Pandemic. The use of statistics here lies in computer modeling that assessed the current situation of the pandemic and contributed to the preventive measures recommended by the healthcare system. In this sense, leadership and statistical analysis played a role in preventing the spread of the virus and informing the population of the necessity of these measures. Decision-making in the sense of crisis was directly dependent on the leadership that the healthcare system tried to maintain.
Conclusion
Statistical analysis, measurements, and presenting data play an essential role in the healthcare system. Any healthcare professional should be able to analyze and interpret the data collected. It becomes critical when making decisions regarding the state of patients. Thus, the literature suggests the importance of statistical literacy.
In specific fields, like nursing, I also use similar statistical data to decide on the treatment of certain patients to maximize efficiency and decrease hospital stays. In addition, it becomes essential when studying diseases, healthcare patterns, and other aspects of quantitative measurement. Using statistical modeling or finding a correlation between independent and dependent variables is also common.
References
Fowler J., Jarvis P. & Chevannes M. (2021). Practical Statistics for Nursing Practice. 2nd eds., Wiley Blackwell.
Heavey E. (2022). Statistics for Nursing: a Practical Approach. Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Haber D. (2019). Health Promotion and Aging: Practical Applications for Health Professionals. Springer Publishing.
Kaur P., Stoltzfus J., Yellapu V. (2018). Descriptive statistics. International Journal of Academic Medicine, 4(1), 60-63. Web.
Nicola M., Sohrabi C., Mathew G., Kerwan A., Al-Jabir A., Griffin M., Agha M., Agha R., (2020). Health policy and leadership models during the COVID-19 pandemic: A review. International Journal of Surgery, 81, 122-129.