In 2015, the Second International Conference on Research Methods for Standardized Terminologies1 was held in West St Paul, MN. Sponsored by the Center for Nursing Informatics at the University of Minnesota School of Nursing, this meeting presented novel methods for use across standardized terminologies and large data sets. Robin Newhouse, PhD, RN, NEA-BC, FAAN, gave the keynote address, "Advancing Patient Centered Outcomes Research: Implications for Research Methods and Standard Terminology," urging a shift in thinking about standardized terminology research toward patient engagement and development of new methods for patient-centered outcomes research.
Selda Secginli, PhD, RN, joined the conference from the University of Istanbul, Turkey. She issued a call to action for evaluating the quality of research methods for standardized terminologies. Dr Secginli advocated for improved rigor in research methods across all terminology-related research. In closing, Daniel Pesut, PhD, RN, PMHCNS-BC, FAAN, presented a synthesis of the state of the science: "Integral Informatics: Aligning Perspectives, Methods, and Data." Dr Pesut reflected on the presenter messages from an integral informatics perspective and led participants in discovery of opportunities to address gaps in methods. Conference awards for excellence in research methods development and use were presented to Brady Alsaker, MN, RN, as Masters Student Methodologist; Jeanette M. Olsen, PhD, RN, as Doctoral Student Methodologist; Chih-Lin Chi, PhD, MBA, as Early Career Methodologist; and Bonnie Westra, PhD, RN, FAAN, FACMI, as Senior Methodologist.
Three plenary sessions presented development or use of research methods for standardized terminologies and structured data sets to personalize patient care, analyze nursing workflow, and evaluate community-level interventions.
Data Mining for Translation to Practice (Presented by Chih-Lin Chi, PhD, MBA)
DOI: 10.1097/01.NCN.0000471667.53263.8d
Data mining techniques promise to revolutionize healthcare quality research. The purpose of this study was to build an informatics pipeline for generating personalized care plans based on standardized terminology assessments. Dr Chih-Lin Chi described the data mining approaches developed to predict personalized care plans based on structured nursing assessments. This study demonstrated the processes that will result in optimized outcomes for oral health for each client. Dr Chi described the next steps in which he is generalizing this method across various problems and locations. Dr Chi encouraged clinicians to continue generating "such useful data" as it has high potential to improve the quality of care and ensure efficient use of nursing resources.
Capturing Complexity: Use of TimeCaT and the Omaha System to Study Multitasking Activities of Acute Care Nurses (Presented by Elizabeth Schenk, PhD, MHI, BSN; Ruth Schleyer, MSN, RN-BC)
DOI: 10.1097/01.NCN.0000471668.60887.bb
The impact of the electronic health record on acute care nursing workflow is unknown. The purpose of this study was to apply a custom time and motion study tool in the evaluation of nursing workflow before and after implementation of a comprehensive electronic health record, in medical-surgical, telemetry, and ICU inpatient settings. The presenters discussed the importance of standardized terminology in describing nursing interventions in acute care. Their study used the Web-based TimeCaT2 observational tool developed for time-motion studies in healthcare. Dr Marcelo Lazo Lopetegui, MD, MS, developer of TimeCaT at the Ohio State University, joined the conference from Clinica Alemana de Santiago in Chile. TimeCaT enabled documentation of multitasking because it is possible to capture data simultaneously for communication, tasks, and location. Findings showed that observers documented a single nurse performing up to nine interventions per minute, in up to nine places per minute. More than 40% of the time, nurses were observed performing more than one intervention within a minute. Dr Schenk emphasized the need to better understand these findings with patient safety and care quality in mind.
Planning Your Evaluation Strategies for Projects in Research, Education, and Practice (Presented by Kristin Erickson, MS, APHN-BC, RN; and Ngozi Mbibi, DNP, RNC-OB)
DOI: 10.1097/01.NCN.0000471669.38016.0a
Evaluating community-level outcomes is a challenge; however, Ms Kristin Erickson and Dr Ngozi Mbibi made it simple for attendees to meet the challenge via an interactive exercise that empowered attendees to plan a community-level outcome evaluation project using an eight-step framework. The purpose was to build capacity for community-level outcomes measurement. The presenters illustrated each step with examples of their work using standardized terminologies to assess the community, intervene, and measure outcomes. Erickson's examples focused on the prevention and management of obesity in clinics, and Mbibi's examples focused on the prevention and management of deep vein thrombosis in a hospital setting.
In summary, this conference brought together experts in data mining, time-motion studies, and program evaluation strategies for an intensive 1-day event that included hands-on experiences and networking with international leaders in methods development for standardized terminology research. An international community of researchers, faculty, students, and practitioners shared new strategies that are needed for big data analysis to affect health systems and quality of care. Conference materials are available online at http://www.nursing.umn.edu/continuing-professional-development/upcomingactivitie.1
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