Cheryl Bagley Thompson

Minimum data set development: air transport time-related terms.

The purpose of this research was to identify, name and define a set of concepts to describe specific times and time intervals relevant to patient transport by helicopter. A list of 206 potential terms was identified from 96 patient records. A purposive sample of experts representing nurses, physicians, paramedics, pilots and communication specialists involved in air transport was selected to participate in a five-round Delphi study conducted by email. A set of 19 concepts were identified and defined. Fifteen of the terms were specific times, such as Time of Call, Depart Base and Arrive Location. Four of the terms were intervals, such as Ground Time or Transport Time.

Implementing common data elements across studies to advance research

Challenges arise in building the knowledge needed for evidence-based practice partially because obtaining clinical research data is expensive and complicated, and many studies have small sample sizes. Combining data from several studies may have the advantage of increasing the impact of the findings or expanding the population to which findings may be generalized. The use of common data elements will allow this combining and, in turn, create big data, which is an important approach that may accelerate knowledge development. This article discusses the philosophy of using common data elements across research studies and illustrates their use by the processes in a developmental center grant funded by the National Institutes of Health. The researchers identified a set of data elements and used them across several pilot studies. Issues that need to be considered in the adoption and implementation of common data elements across pilot studies include theoretical framework, purpose of the common measures, respondent burden, teamwork, managing large data sets, grant writing, and unintended consequences. We describe these challenges and solutions that can be implemented to manage them.

Evaluation of the nursing intervention classification for use by flight nurses.

INTRODUCTION The purpose of the study was to determine if terminology used for nursing interventions in air transport records is consistent with the Nursing Intervention Classification (NIC) system. METHODS A retrospective descriptive design was used to examine the terminology used in air transport records. The sample included the transport records for 46 cardiac patients transported by air. RESULTS Of the 7958 data elements obtained from the transport records, 1435 were nursing interventions. Ninety-nine percent of the interventions could be classified into the NIC. However, 8.5% of the NIC interventions listed did not reflect the advanced level of practice demonstrated by the flight nurses. CONCLUSION The results of the study suggest that the current version of the NIC was a useful but not a sufficient classification system for flight nurse documentation. More than 90% of the interventions could be categorized using the NIC. However, modifications are needed to reflect the advanced level of practice used by flight nurses and deal with the inconsistencies in the data classification system structure.

Modeling and Teaching Techniques for Conceptual and Logical Relational Database Design

This paper proposes a series of techniques to be used in teaching database design. Common ERD notations are discussed. The authors developed an ERD notation, adapted from the Unified Modeling Language, which facilitates student learning of the database design process. The paper presents a specific step by step process for representing the ERD components as tables and for normalizing the resulting set of tables.

Basics of Research (part 2): Reviewing the literature

Air Medical Journal 14:2 April-June 1995 In the first part of the Basics of Research series, you learned how to get started in research and how to formulate an appropriate research question. The next step in the process of developing a research project is to perform a comprehensive re view of the literature. The fundamental premise of the research question and subsequent selection of an appropriate study design depends on what gaps exist in our current understanding. These deficiencies must be assessed accurately to prevent wasting time, energy and resources in addressing a question that has been answered already. Thus, you become an expert on the current state of knowledge for the subject area. There are multiple ways to obtain a collection of articles in the area of interest. These include references from text chapters, article files from colleagues with knowledge or interest in the subject, references from articles and, finally, the formal literature search. While an author, in all probability, will use all of these methods, no research review is complete without a literature search. The literature search is an organized method of reviewing scientific information concerning a particular topic. Its fo cus is on journals. Journals are regarded as the principal vehicle for the communication of information in the medical community and have significant advantages over other information sources, such as texts. Their frequency of publication and shorter preparation time makes them a source for the most recent information, an extremely important point considering the rapidity with which health-care research generates new data.1 In addition, journals are the primary channel of communication between medical researchers and are the vehicle for the introduction of new ideas, concepts, proce dures, etc.2 In some journals, articles also are peer reviewed, which means after the paper is submitted individuals with either knowledge or experience concerning the topic of interest critique the study. This serves two basic functions. First, poorly designed, executed or written material is rejected and kept out of print. In actuality this works better as a concept than in practice, but it does mean that the paper must have cleared at least one hurdle prior to publication. Second, the reviewer may make suggestions to the authors to help improve the manuscript, such as clarifying certain sections, reorganizing, adding or deleting data or making other changes designed to improve the project. Thus, for all of these reasons, the journal remains the primary source of background information for any research effort. Searching the literature is much easier today than it was five to 10 years ago and can be accomplished through a variety of approaches. Previously, finding literature of interest required a slow search through large books such as the Index Medicus or Cumulative Index of Nursing and Allied Health Literature (CINAHL) that indexes health-care related literature by subject heading. If you were looking for research not covered by one of the Medical Subject Headings (MeSH) terms, your chances of finding resources were minimal. In the past, few individuals had knowledge of proper search techniques. Frequently, the assistance of a librarian was sought. A medical librarian is familiar with health-care terminology and the process for searching through this sub-

Language Validation of the Air Transport Minimum Data Set: Time-Related Terms

INTRODUCTION Transport times, such as time of call, are an essential part of the patient record. The purpose of this study was to validate a previously proposed minimum data set of time-related terms. METHODS A stratified sample of 508 nurses, physicians, paramedics, pilots, and communication specialists was selected to participate in the validation survey. Subjects indicated their agreement/disagreement with the proposed terms and their definitions on a scale of 1 (low) to 3 (high). In addition, subjects indicated whether they currently collect the data elements or could do so easily. Finally, subjects said whether they were willing to release aggregate data for benchmarking purposes. RESULTS One-hundred-eighteen subjects (23.2%) responded to the survey with usable data. Agreement to include the terms (level 3) ranged from 71.2% to 95.8%. Agreement with the proposed definition ranged from 72.9% to 95.8%. Seventy-eight of the respondents were willing to release all the data elements. CONCLUSION Fourteen of the 19 terms are recommended for inclusion in a minimum data set for rotor-wing transport. Most persons expressed willingness to release data for benchmarking efforts.

Crossing Borders: An Online Interdisciplinary Course in Health Informatics for Students From Two Countries

A cross-countries and interprofessional novel approach for delivering an international interdisciplinary graduate health informatics course online is presented. Included in this discussion are the challenges, lessons learned, and pedagogical recommendations from the experiences of teaching the course. Four professors from three different fields and from three universities collaborated in offering an international health informatics course for an interdisciplinary group of 18 US and seven Norwegian students. Highly motivated students and professors, an online technology infrastructure that supported asynchronously communication and course delivery, the ability to adapt the curriculum to meet the pedagogy requirements at all universities, and the support of higher administration for international collaboration were enablers for success. This project demonstrated the feasibility and advantages of an interdisciplinary, interprofessional, and cross-countries approach in teaching health informatics online. Students were able to establish relationships and conduct professional conversations across disciplines and international boundaries using content management software. This graduate course can be used as a part of informatics, computer science, and/or health science programs.