Registration open for the March 7, 2016 forum: Using Data to Improve Clinical Patient Outcomes

Posted by Carolyn Martin on February 1st, 2016 Posted in: News From NNLM PNR, Public Health, Training & Education

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When you hear “Big Data” what comes to mind? Research? That’s where the NN/LM focus has been–introducing health sciences librarians to the role they can play in managing and curating research data, introducing health sciences librarians to training resources and tools to teach students and researchers what should be considered when they produce data.

Big data does not just exist in the research setting. There is a lot of patient data that exists in each of our hospitals, medical centers, and healthcare systems. Doesn’t this quantity of patient data qualify it as big data too? Some of us say the answer is, “Yes.”  

On March 7, 2016 the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest (PNR) and MidContinental Regions (MCR) are sponsoring an event that will provide an overview of current and potential uses of patient data to improve patient safety, quality of care and evidence-based practice: Using Data to Improve Clinical Patient Outcomes.

Librarian participants will have the opportunity to explore how they can contribute to the use of clinical data as evidence and what skills they can develop to support health care organizations in the use of data.

Who should attend this forum? Health sciences librarians who work in a clinical setting. We encourage librarians to bring along their CEO, chief medical officer, or quality assurance person who want to learn more about what other institutions are doing with clinical data in order to plan what can be done within their own institutions.  The objectives will make this event of interest to others beyond the librarian audience:

• Participants will gain increased awareness of the role of data to improve healthcare delivery; and
• Participants will gain knowledge about emerging uses of clinical data mining to improve evidence-based practice.

The event will take place in Seattle at the University of Washington and in Salt Lake City at the University of Utah. It will be a shared broadcast between the two universities. Presenters and audience members will be located at both sites and will interact with each other. We have an exciting line up of individuals from major medical centers who have been investigating how to turn patient data into evidence for patient safety and improved quality of care.

NN/LM PNR Professional Development Awards have been designated to bring in members from other parts of the region to attend the Using Data to Improve Clinical Patient Outcomes forum. Instructions and criteria for applying are available on the NN/LM PNR web site (http://nnlm.gov/pnr/funding/ProfDev.html).  

To register for the symposium:  https://nnlm.gov/ntc/classes/class_details.html?class_id=997