Essential analytics in nursing education: Building capacity to improve clinical practice

Abstract

There is an emerging use of analytics and big data to address major challenges and solve complex problems across the health care system. Analytics involves extensive and sophisticated use of data to describe, predict, prescribe, and compare data that drives decision making with the goal of improving results. The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act coupled with collaboration among public and private organizations are driving the need for analytical data with the aim of improving the quality of health care and reducing costs to the consumer. The use of an analytical clinical decision framework is provided to assist members of the interprofessional health care team when making decisions at the point of care. The four major types of analytics are discussed and illustrate various applications within health care. The use of analytics promotes clinical practice that applies a data driven approach to delivering patient care services. The ability to embed analytics into clinical practice improves workflow, enhances decision making, increases productivity, reduces overall costs, and fosters optimal patient outcomes.