Question

How/why can each type of database (relational, object-oriented, and multidimensional) be utilized in healthcare? Provide examples as support.

Answer 1

The Health care system consists of various organizations, people and actions whose primary intent is to promote, restore or maintain health. As the health care system expands from hospital care to home care which need to pull data from across a variety of diverse sources, data helps health systems derive the level of insight and trends needed to personalize treatment, foster effective communication between patients and physicians, and improve the overall quality of patient care.

In today’s digital world, health systems are swimming in data. The digitization of the healthcare industry is happening fast. The huge data stores that can be used to inform better, more cost-effective care. A major result of this transformation from paper to electronic records is the proliferation of healthcare data. Databases are foundational to any use of data, and yet we find that many people are confused about how they work and the role they play in healthcare.

A database is any collection of data organized for storage, accessibility, and retrieval. There are different types of databases. The type most commonly used in healthcare is the OLTP (Online Transaction Processing) database.

A healthcare database serves to replace the paper documents, file folders, and filing cabinets of old. The data is now more convenient and immediate. An OLTP database is one that a single computer application runs on. An Electronic Health Record (EHR) is a prime example of such an application. The main strength of an OLTP database is that it allows for quick, real-time transactional processing. It is built for speed and delivers sub-second response times. For example, when a patient presents at the front desk, you search for her name in the EHR and instantly see a result. Likewise, if we enter patient blood pressure into the EHR and the information is instantly stored there.

The OLTP database structure accommodates the creation of a wide range of transactional applications: EHRs, lab systems, financial systems, patient satisfaction systems, patient identification, ADT tracking, administration, billing and payment processing, research, HR, and education.

When coming to Nursing care which include multi-dimensional care for patient which need to use the databases of different types such as relational databases , oriented and multidimensional databases for the following activities in nursing care:

• documentation with an Electronic Health Record (EHR) or Electronic Medical Record (EMR)
• documentation related to patient care, assess & monitor patients, diagnostic testing, specialty referrals or any other aspect of patient care or management
• record clients assessment, medication administration, progress notes, care plan updating.
• Use information to document & evaluate patient care, advance patient education, & enhance the accessibility of care
• Protect the safety & privacy of patients in relation to the use of health care & information technologies
• Computerized clinical decision-making programs
• Work on an interdisciplinary team to make ethical decisions regarding the application of technologies & the acquisition of data.

Clinical applications of computers in nursing are numerous.

• the nurses can either transcribe the Physicians prescribe orders of medications and treatments on the computer, onto paper tools or print the paper documents for use in patient care.
• Staff nurses can order medications or supplies on the computer
• look up drug interactions or research medical condition
• personal digital assistants to communicate with physicians about the patients in their care

In an increasingly complex and competitive healthcare system, effective data management isn’t just a good idea – it’s critical. So it makes essential to every nurse and health care professional to have adequate knowledge on uses of databases for the effective and efficient patient care and outcome.