Database design and modeling in healthcare organizations

¶ … Modeling and Database Design

Data Modeling Database Design The databases significantly improve organization's ability access, share, apply relevant information. However, wealth data a database, greatly dependent design. Designing a database creates logical data relationships end

Data modeling and database design

Making use of database systems would benefit a health care organization as information regarding a patient can be retrieved easily and quickly Choobineh & Lo, 2004.

The initial design of the database is vital to ensure that information is accurate and logical. Patient information can be easily retrieved and shared with other professionals. Information sharing becomes easy, and health care workers can collaborate with others irrespective of location. Using different descriptions for the same data in a database will create confusion especially when the information has to be exported to another system. The database system would treat the description differently and create a new field for storing the data. This would result in confusion when the data is retrieved by other health care workers. During the design phase, the health care workers should be consulted in order to establish their preferences and collate the information. Health care organizations have different ways of storing information. One health care facility could store its patient's names under one field while another would separate the fields into first, last, and surname.

Creating a blueprint for the required data, assists the designers to create logical presentations of the data captured Mantha, 1987.

Logical data relationships are vital for the database. When users query the database they expect to receive accurate information, but in some instances there might be conflicting information because of the database design. Health care organizations use database systems for capturing and storing patient information. This ease the burden and risk of losing patient records. In case the patient needs to be referred to another facility, the organization would submit the patient's records electronically. The receiving facility will need to have a database system similar to the one used by the sending facility in order for them to import the data. In case they have a different system the information would not be properly imported, and they would have inaccurate information.

Database design issues

The case study has identified six design issues namely data problems, interoperability of the systems, poor system design, coding issues, database formatting, and use of the data received. The data received could be dirty that contains errors. The cause of the errors could be numerous, and it is easy to avoid these errors. An organization should standardize the recording of its data. This will ensure that data from the organization will be similar, and there is no likelihood of the data containing duplicate or incomplete records. Storey and Goldstein (1993)

argue the interoperability of systems is vital for the sharing of information with other organizations or departments. If systems are interoperable there will be a need to enter the same patient data, which results in multiple entries. The lack of interoperability will result in different information for the same patient. This causes problems as the patient could be assigned a number for another patient. There is also potential of having two patients having the same data or their data been combined.

The design of the system will determine its success. Data from one system could be unusable because it contains incorrect information. How dates are stored in the system is vital as a simple error in entering the date would lead to confusion in the whole system. The same format should be used for entering dates to ensure there will be no mix up. The use of error messages is vital as this will alert the user of any problems during data entry. Error messages that users will easily understand are included within the EPIC system. This provides users with information and a chance to correct their mistakes. Systems should be coded using universally accepted codes for the different treatments. In a health care system codes are critical in determining the patient ailment. Consistency in using the applicable codes will ensure that there is little confusion when users access the records stored in the system. Data retrieval is vital for the success of a database design. The person or user retrieving the information should understand the basics of database requirements and design. This ensures that they will extract the required data for use in a database and not for users to read.

Proper planning will allow the organization to prepare itself for the development. Planning will ensure that the personnel involved in the project understand the basic requirements of databases. This will allow the organization to have people who can retrieve data as required for use within the database. Standardizing the naming if different diagnosis within the organization will ensure that the information retrieved from the system is accurate and similar. Having similar codes for the description of different ailments will result in too many codes, but the database will manage to handle all the codes.

The issue of interoperability of the system should be dealt with by using bar codes for identifying the patients. The bar code would be assigned to a patient during registration, and scanning of the bar code is what the other users will need to do. The bar code will contain all the patient information and will ensure there is duplication of records. The various systems will capture information in the same format and systems will be able to communicate with each other.