Beginning and Ending Dates of the Project Described:

March 2007 to August 2008.

Setting of Project:

Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center (CCHMC).

Problem to be Resolved:

We had to gather, validate, and post/submit data requirements for the Magnet application by the deadline. Data were stored in several databases that were not synchronized nor interfaced. Some data were questionable and incomplete.

Objectives of the Project:

The aim was to provide the data reports required for the Magnet application on time.

Methods:

Methods used were query writing in Access and PeopleSoft (SQL) and manual validation methods, leading to establishment of systematic validation methods. Ongoing reports using Excel to monitor staff compliance with data update requests were created.

Outcomes:

We were notified on February 13, 2009, that we had unanimously been awarded Magnet status.

Lessons Learned:

The biggest lesson learned was that data are only as good as the active methods and processes in place to keep them current and valid. We learned very early that data had been no one's responsibility. Initial hire data were accurate and complete. After hire, the updating process was not so clean or frequently used.

Another lesson learned was that data have different definitions to different requestors. A large part of the data validation and query writing was in learning the difference between the ANCC definitions of some data points and what CCHMC had been using.

Section Description

We are pleased to share the paper presentation abstracts from the Summer Institute in Nursing Informatics, Informatics at the Point of Care: A Barrier or a Bridge?, held at the University of Maryland School of Nursing, July 22 to 25, 2009. The program, chaired by Dr Judy Ozbolt, was a great success. Each of the following abstracts was selected for presentation by a peer-review committee.