Question

Write a post in which you explain at least three ways that database design and data architecture can work together to improve patient satisfaction, lower care costs, or improve patient outcomes. Then identify at least two areas of uncertainty or unanswered questions that you have about database design and data architecture.

Answer 1

# Database design and data architecture can work together to improve patient satisfaction, lower care costs, or improve patient outcomes Cognitive psychologists have identified the physical environment as having a significant impact on safety and human performance.

the interrelationships between humans, the tools they use, and the environment in which they live and work” is basic to any study of the design a health care facility and its effect on the performance of the nurses and other caregivers who interface with the facility and its fixed (e.g., oxygen and suctioning ports on the wall of a patient room) and moveable equipment and technology.

Humans do not always behave clumsily and humans do not always err, but they are more likely to do so when they work in a badly conceived and designed

health care setting.

Organizational factors that can potentially create the conditions conducive for errors are called latent conditions. latent conditions are the inevitable “resident pathogens” that “may lie dormant within the system for a long time, only becoming evident when they combine with other factors to breach the system’s defenses. Latent conditions can be identified and remedied before an adverse event occurs.” Examples of latent conditions are:

poorly designed facilities, including the location of technology and equipment; confusing procedures; training gaps; staff shortages or improper staffing patterns; and poor safety culture. A specific one of a latent condition effecting patient safety would be the impact of low lighting levels in the medication dispensing areas that are associated with some medication errors but not others.

These and other conditions occur at what Reason describes as the “blunt end,” where administrators, the work environment, and resources determine the processes of care delivery. Latent conditions are present in all organizations and can be unintentionally created by those who are responsible for designing systems, ensuring adequate staffing, creating and enforcing policies, and so on.

The design of a facility/structure with its fixed and moveable components can have a significant impact on human performance, especially on the health and safety of employees, patients, and famers, researchers found that there was a link between the physical environment (i.e., single-bed or multiple-bed patient rooms) and patient (e.g., fewer adverse events and better health care quality) and staff outcomes (reduced stress and fatigue and increased effectiveness in delivering care).

Efforts to improve patient and staff outcomes can target latent conditions for clinicians by using evidence-based designs to decrease distractions, standardize locations of equipment and supplies, and ensure adequate space for documentation and work areas. The research done describes the value of practices based on principles designed to compensate for human cognitive failings. Thus, when applied to the health care field, human factors research (i.e., an area of research that includes human performance, technology design, and human-computer interaction; A Human Factors Framework, which has emphasized the need for standardization, simplification, and use of protocols and checklists, can be used to improve health care outcomes.

By targeting human factors through facility design and ensuring that latent conditions and cognitive failures that lead to adverse events are minimized, patient safety will improve. This requires a multifaceted approach, including developing a strong safety culture, redesigning systems or facilities with their equipment and technology, focusing on eliminating the conditions of cognitive errors, and helping caregivers correct/stop an error before it leads to harm or mitigate it if it occurs.

# Factors Influencing the Built Environment

With human factors in mind, there are several aspects of the built environment that should be considered. In a review of the literature by Henriksen and colleagues, the following design elements were identified as critical in ensuring patient safety and quality care, based on the six quality aims .

Patient-centeredness, including

using variable-acuity rooms and single-bed rooms

ensuring sufficient space to accommodate family members

enabling access to health care information

having clearly marked signs to navigate the hospital

Safety, including

applying the design and improving the availability of assistive devices to avert patient falls

using ventilation and filtration systems to control and prevent the spread of infections

using surfaces that can be easily decontaminated

facilitating hand washing with the availability of sinks and alcohol hand rubs

preventing patient and provider injury

addressing the sensitivities associated with the interdependencies of care, including work spaces and work processes

Effectiveness, including

use of lighting to enable visual performance

use of natural lighting

controlling the effects of noise

Efficiency, including

standardizing room layout, location of supplies and medical equipment

minimizing potential safety threats and improving patient satisfaction by minimizing patient transfers with variable-acuity rooms

Timeliness, by

ensuring rapid response to patient needs

eliminating inefficiencies in the processes of care delivery

facilitating the clinical work of nurses

Equity, by

ensuring the size, layout, and functions of the structure meet the diverse care needs of patients.

Thank you , hope u understand. .. . . .