Data for Health Analysis Health, Medicine, Nursing Term Paper

Data For Health Analysis
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Data For Health Analysis
Data is crucial in the healthcare sector since it facilitates the process of making decisions. In particular, it refers to statistics and facts that occur in different forms, such as categorized variables or numerics, which are stored in an electronic or tabular format. Information entails the gathering, analysis, presentation, and aggregation of data to provide a clear understanding of a specific occurrence. Big data involves a huge and diverse information set that keeps growing at a faster rate. Quantitative data comprises of numbers that are categorized on a different range of potential variables (Magnuson & Fu, 2013). Data mining entails finding correlations, patterns, and anomalies within a large data set so that one can predict possible outcomes. Ad hoc analysis involves creating a temporary report to answer a particular question. A health information exchange enables nurses, pharmacists, doctors, and other healthcare providers to share medical information among themselves. As such, data collection for health analysis should be done thoroughly and ethically since this information fosters good decision-making.
Although the rapid advancement of technology has made data easily accessible, the two primary things that matter the most are the sources of information and tools for searching and evaluating the publically available data meant for medical analysis. Notably, the five primary characteristics of effective data are sufficiency, relevance, accuracy, cost-effectiveness, and timeliness. As the data sources continue to grow, resources ought to change to match the knowledge and products required to use the information. The first step in getting reliable data is finding credible sources. Some of them include government and health organization databases. For example, one can use MEDLINE, Defense Technical Information Center (DTIC), Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), National Center for Health Statistics (NCHS), and HealthData.gov. Some of the corporations that give reliable data on various subjects involving health include the United Nations (UN), World Bank, World Health Organization (WHO), and International Monetary Fund (IMF) (Magnuson & Fu, 2013). Consequently, it is advisable to use credible data sources to get accurate and reliable information.
Data tools are critical since they enable individuals to get the actual meaning of a particular dataset. Public health practitioners should search for the right tools to improve and maintain the efficiency, visualization and quality of data. In particular, public health informatics (PHI) emphasizes the use or application of technology and computer science to address issues in health. The most significant tools are ad hoc analysis, electronic healt...