Nursing Informatics

Nursing Informatics Terminology Self Study: data display, throughput, data mining, RFID, RDBMs, and etc.

When displaying patient data for clinical decision making, which type of display tends to slow cognitive processing of the data? — multiple displays on one screen (distracting and slow cognitive processing of data. in most cases, multiple modes of presentation of data provide the best information)

The effective display or patient data for clinical decision making requires that information be rapidly available with minimal cognitive effort. The decision tree is a common presentation with potential options, consequences, and expected outcomes.

Graphs: line graphs, column graphs, and bar charts (compare variables), pie charts and area charts (illustrate the percentage composition of an entity)

Line graph: used to show data over a period of time. is considered the best type of chart for displaying data over time.

Table: use labeled columns and rows to present statistical or alphabetical data in an organized way. although technically not visual aids, they provide a different way of grouping and presenting analyzed data that an analyst wants to communicate to proposal readers.

Pictorial displays: visual indicators, such as colors, may be used to highlight information, such as abnormal lab results, and pictorial displays can be effective.

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Nursing Continue Education · Nursing Informatics

Today’s Textbook Readings: Theory of Andragogy – the Education of Adults

Today’s Textbook Readings:

Billings, D. & Halstead, J. A. (2012) Teaching in Nursing -A Guide for Faculty (4th ed.) p 220-225

Andragogy: the education of adults

-(In contrast to Pedagogy: the education of children)

Malcolm Knowles developed the theory of andragogy in relation to adult learners, with the intention to help understand how adults learn. From psychological perspective, Knowles explained that adults are self-concept, increasingly self-directing, and being responsible for their own life, thus, their motivation to learn is internal, it may rise from curiosity, but their readiness to learn develops from life tasks and problems, and their orientation to learning is task centered or problem centered.

Knowles acknowledged that adult learners have experiences from the past, in which serve as a rich resource for their own and other’s learning, therefore, it should be take into consideration that how previously learned knowledge and experience influence new learning process.
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