Data Collection in Healthcare Organization

1. Choose two methods of patient data collection, and examine how each can be used to measure quality performance in a health care organization.

Many methods can help in collecting data among different patients within the healthcare organization. This paper will mainly focus on two of such methods. These include interviews and questionnaires. Questionnaires are questions which focus on specific information that the researcher wants to get. The researcher analyzes quantitative methods by assigning numerical values (Wade, 2007). The analysis of results is easier when it comes to analyzing a patient’s information. The researcher can use open ended questions which will enable the patient to give information in details. It is possible to analyze the information collected by using different methods of data analysis to come into a concrete conclusion to address the issue under the research study. Interviews are another method of data collection which can be conducted either on the phone or in person. The interview questions can take formal, informal, or can be semi-structured. The data collected is mainly qualitative.

These two data collection methods can be used in health organization to address different issues that affect both the patients and to identify effective methods to improve the healthcare organizations. Interviewing patients will provide the responsible individuals with enough information with will help in retaining employees and reduction of their turnover. The information also has significant financial benefits for the organization. The voice of patients when heard through the interview data collected, it is possible to identify the challenges that the healthcare organization is facing at a particular time. It is also possible to identify the needs of the employees and address them according to the standards which will result in the beneficial outcome to the organization (Wade, 2007).  Doing interviews for patients will make enables the researcher to determine the status of the healthcare organization and provide adequate and appropriate recommendations which will help in saving the situation. Interviews will indirectly give the employees a voice to in the process of selecting effective measures that will help in the improvement of services to the employees. Interviewing patients is important when the organization wants to hire new employees. The information will help the officials to recruit competent individuals and select measures which will ensure accounting of their needs.

The reception of patients and the quality of services they receive is very important in a healthcare organization. One of the most effective methods to collect information about patient satisfaction is through using patient satisfaction surveys. These surveys can collect enough data on patients that will enable delivery of feedback which can act as a tool in the improvement of communication in the organization. The surveys will help the individual to gather enough data which is critical to help in satisfaction of patents. Questionnaires or surveys are simple and easy to answer. The researcher can design them in the manner in which is understandable and only focus on delivery of the intended information.

It is also easy to distribute the survey questions because patients who come to the organization will be given the questionnaires to fill after they get treatment. A strategic location can be set where all the surveys will be collected as the patients drop them. They can be positioned at the exit doors where each patient will drop the questions as they leave. The organization should decide on the type of information necessary to be included in the survey. The information should be strictly on the issue that affects the organization and that which will lead to the solution of such issues. Patients can help in identification of the challenges and look into effective measures to apply to remedy the situation. In many organizations, patients will give information which the questions demand. This is because it is the role of the individual designing the questionnaire s to ensure that the questions only focus on the issues to be addressed at a particular moment.

2. Discuss the advantages and disadvantages of each method of collection.

Application of questionnaires and interviews in collecting data have some advantages and disadvantages. Using interviews is very important when it comes to the collection of information about the performance of nurses within the organization. The first advantage for the collection of information through interviews is on the amount of money required to collect data (Wade, 2007).  Interviews only require the researcher to design questions and administer tot eh respondents. It is cheaper to collect data through the interview because there is no additional cost needed to give the respondents because of it tis out of the willingness of the respondents (“Collecting Quantitative Data Using Survey Instruments: Pitfalls,” 2018). Additionally, the researcher can only specify the type of I formation to be delivered by the respondent because the questions are specifically designed by the interviewer. The disadvantages of interviews are that sometimes the respondents may not be willing to give accurate information. It is also difficult to determine the type of responses that are true when there are different diverse responses Among the respondents.

The use of questionnaires is also important in collecting information about a health organization.it is easy to collect a lot of information after a short period using questionnaires. Therefore, they help the researcher to save time. Large groups of patients with different problems concerning the healthcare can be reached to give information that can help to address diverse issues within the organization. However, some of the advantages of questionnaires are that some of the open-ended questions give the patients allowance to give unnecessary information. Sometimes the patients may not be willing to respond to all questions leading to a lack of some important information which may help in the improvement of the quality of services within the organization.

References

Collecting Quantitative Data Using Survey Instruments: Pitfalls. (2018). doi:10.4135/9781526443410

Wade, D. (2007). Ethics of collecting and using healthcare data. BMJ, 334(7608), 1330-1331. doi:10.1136/bmj.39247.679329.80