List of Factor affecting data quality

Factors Identified Effecting Quality of Data

This list has been generated after the presentation of the results of the Peer audit at the Team Meeting September 29 2010.

Please feel free to add other thoughts and ideas

One example identified at a meeting today by CMarks was if there is no MOST, because a patient was in palliative care, and only vital signs available is from 1 week prior to acceptance to medicine service then what do you put in as a BP, HR, WBC? The guidelines state if there are no values assume normal. But what are the normal values that should be recorded?
- Use the value shown when you click on the "AP" behind the field.

Another example ID'd by Lois Bilesky was for APACHE - the exact physiological item is not recorded because APACHE score is based on selecting a value within a RANGE for points. If the points are the same why fuss about which value to select? There were never any guidelines instructing a collector which value to choose within a range.
- Solution: Update guidelines for APACHE II collection rules.
  - We certainly have more guidelines now than we did in 2011... is this still a concern? If they are still relevant pls start a new discussion about them.

I have been thinking about ways in which apache scores could be done more consistently. If a mean BP calculator was put into access so that entering the systolic and diastolic numbers will result in a mean BP every time, this would be very helpful. Another thought that I had was that every value have a permanent display of the median (normal) number. For example the median for Potassium is 4.4, for WBC it is 9, etc. If the median number is permanently displayed on the screen then it is easier to ascertain the number furthest from that number either higher or lower. I think this is easier than having the range display. It would also be more accurate I think. --LKolesar 07:44, 10 January 2011 (CST)
- This display of median number of the normal scale would also apply to vital signs. --LKolesar 07:25, 11 January 2011 (CST)

These points about improving APACHE were made a long time ago. Since then we added a listing for default values and ranges, and the BP Helper button, and the reference values and ranges on the Patient Viewer Tab APACHE. Would you say that these issues are addressed or is this still a problem? If they are still relevant pls start a new discussion about them.