LECTURE ONE - University of Phoenix



Read Me First

Week Five

Introduction

STATISTICAL SOFTWARE CAN ANSWER A LIMITLESS NUMBER OF QUESTIONS. MANUALLY CALCULATING SURVEY DATA WITH THOUSANDS OF RESPONSES IS PROHIBITIVE BECAUSE IT WOULD BE TOO LABOR INTENSIVE. ONCE YOU ENTER THE INFORMATION INTO A DATABASE, HOWEVER, STATISTICAL SOFTWARE REQUIRES ONLY A FEW KEYSTROKES TO GENERATE DESCRIPTIVE FINDINGS AND ACCOMPANYING GRAPHS. THIS ALLOWS THE ORGANIZATION TO ANALYZE DATA ACROSS SPECIFIC OPERATIONS, TIME PERIODS, CONCURRENT EVENTS, AND OTHER VARIABLES THAT MAY CONFOUND RESULTS. STATISTICAL SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS PLAY A KEY ROLE IN AN ORGANIZATION’S ABILITY TO COLLECT, ANALYZE, AND REPORT DATA.

Some health care organizations use commonly installed software programs that possess a general level of statistical capability, such as Microsoft® Excel® or MegaStat®. Management may instead invest in more powerful software programs, such as the Statistical Package for the Social Sciences (SPSS) or Statistical Analysis Software (SAS), to more rapidly import, validate, and code information, or execute more complex, ongoing statistical analyses. Software choices often devolve into research requirements and budgetary constraints. Variables to consider when using software applications for statistical analysis are:

1. Benefits

a. Time

b. Ease of visual display such as available charts and graphs

c. Accuracy

2. Limitations

a. Data input errors

b. Cost of applications

c. Ability to communicate clearly methods and findings

This week in relationship to the course and the program

THROUGHOUT THIS COURSE, WE HAVE DISCUSSED INFORMATION THAT IS CRITICAL FOR STATISTICAL INTERPRETATION AND DATA ANALYSIS. TO REVIEW, WEEK ONE FOCUSED ON GRAPHING TECHNIQUES, SAMPLING STRATEGIES, AND VARIOUS LEVELS OF MEASUREMENT—NOMINAL, ORDINAL, INTERVAL, AND RATIO. WEEK TWO ADDRESSED DESCRIPTIVE STATISTICS VIA THE BASIC ATTRIBUTES OF VARIABILITY AND MEASURES OF CENTRAL TENDENCY—MEAN, MEDIAN, AND MODE. ALSO DURING WEEK TWO, YOU LEARNED ABOUT THE ROLE OF NORMAL DISTRIBUTION IN STANDARDIZING STATISTICAL TESTS. DURING WEEK THREE, YOU TOOK A DEEPER LOOK INTO THE COMPLEXITIES OF MAKING INFERENCES AND CONSTRUCTING HYPOTHESIS TESTING. YOU SAW THAT STATISTICAL ACCURACY RELIES UPON A MEANINGFUL LEVEL OF SIGNIFICANCE AND AVOIDING TYPE I AND TYPE II ERRORS. WEEK FOUR SYNTHESIZED ALL OF THE ABOVE AS WE DEFINED SPECIFIC STATISTICAL TESTS IN TERMS OF PARAMETRIC AND NONPARAMETRIC APPLICATIONS.

The ability to read results generated by computer applications is vital in today’s technology-based health care environment. This course provides you with fundamentals for analyzing research reports and inferring the applicability of findings to different populations. Week Five is the capstone of the course, transforming you from a somewhat passive consumer of research to an active participant in the research process. During Week Five, you will see the advantages of using statistical software to increase the amount of data processed and strengthen the power of analyses performed—maximizing both efficiency and effectivity in the research process. By using statistical programs that generate the data constructs that help you analyze research results, you may feel confident to develop your own findings. This dual perspective—analytical and developmental—will serve you well throughout this program and in your professional career.

Hints for a reading strategy of the assigned materials

WHILE THERE ARE NO ASSIGNED READINGS FOR WEEK FIVE, YOU SHOULD EXPLORE HOW YOUR CURRENT ORGANIZATION USES SOFTWARE APPLICATIONS FOR DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS, AND CONSIDER NEW WAYS YOUR ORGANIZATION MIGHT USE STATISTICAL SOFTWARE TO MORE EFFECTIVELY OPERATE AND SERVE CONSUMERS. DISTINGUISH THE TYPES OF INFORMATION THAT YOU CAN MANAGE WITH MAINSTREAM SOFTWARE PROGRAMS SUCH AS MICROSOFT® EXCEL®, AND THE TYPES THAT WOULD REQUIRE MORE SPECIALIZED SOFTWARE TO IMPORT AND MANAGE DATA.

Some questions to ask as you hone your critical thinking

AS YOU CONSIDER THE APPLICATION OF STATISTICAL SOFTWARE, ASK YOURSELF THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. What software does your organization use to analyze data, and how do you use the results?

2. What electronic tools have been involved in data collection at your organization?

3. What source of data available through the federal government is relevant to your professional position? Why?

4. Based on what you have learned in this class, how might you or your organization use data analysis software?

Summary

STATISTICAL ANALYSIS IS A REALITY IN HEALTH CARE. DATA-BASED DECISION MAKING AND EVIDENCE-BASED PRACTICES ARE THE NEWEST FORMS OF ACCOUNTABILITY THAT ENSURE PATIENTS RECEIVE HIGH-QUALITY SERVICES. AS YOU CONSIDER YOUR HEALTH CARE CAREER, TAKE ADVANTAGE OF OPPORTUNITIES THAT OFFER YOU AN ACTIVE ROLE IN RESEARCH AND EVIDENCE-BASED INITIATIVES. MAKE THE BEST USE OF THIS COURSE BY CONSIDERING THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS:

1. Given all of the topics in the course, which topic is most relevant to you professionally? Why?

2. What is the next step you will take to continue understanding the role and importance of statistics in your professional life? What specific statistical tools discussed in this course can you immediately apply in your work environment?

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