INSTRUCTIONS
Purpose
The purpose of this milestone is to help you:
- Refine your research question from Discussion Assignment 2
- Identify appropriate variables from the dataset for your analysis
- Develop a preliminary plan for data analysis
- Receive constructive feedback before investing significant time in your midterm paper
Instructions
- Research Question Selection (1 paragraph)
- Select one research question from the options you developed in Discussion Assignment 2
- Refine your question to ensure it is clear, focused, and answerable using the provided dataset
- Briefly explain why you selected this particular question and its relevance to nursing informatics and healthcare quality
- Variable Selection (1-2 paragraphs)
- Identify the specific variables from the dataset you plan to include in your analysis
- For each variable, provide:
- The exact name of the variable as it appears in the dataset
- The type of variable (categorical, continuous, etc.)
- A brief explanation of why this variable is relevant to your research question
- Identify your dependent (outcome) and independent (predictor) variables
- Proposed Data Analysis Plan (1-2 paragraphs)
- Describe the descriptive statistics you plan to calculate
- Identify any measures of association or simple statistical tests you plan to perform
- Explain how these analyses will help you address your research question
- Note any potential data quality issues you anticipate and how you plan to address them
Submission Format
Please submit your Data Plan as a 1-2 page document (double-spaced, 12pt font) with the following sections clearly labeled:
- Research Question
- Variable Selection
- Proposed Data Analysis Plan
Example Structure
Research Question: Is there an association between polypharmacy (5+ medications) and emergency department utilization among patients in the dataset?
Variable Selection:
- Dependent variable: EmergencyVisits (continuous) - This represents the number of emergency department visits and will serve as my outcome variable to measure healthcare utilization.
- Independent variable: TotalMedications (continuous) - This will be recoded into a binary variable (Polypharmacy: Yes/No) where 5+ medications = Yes.
- Covariates:
- Age (continuous) - Included because older patients may have more medications and higher ED utilization
- ChronicConditionCount (continuous) - Included to account for disease burden
- InsuranceType (categorical) - Included because insurance coverage may influence both medication access and ED utilization patterns
Proposed Data Analysis Plan: I will first calculate descriptive statistics for all variables, including means and standard deviations for continuous variables (EmergencyVisits, Age, ChronicConditionCount) and frequencies for categorical variables (Polypharmacy, InsuranceType). I will then compare the mean number of emergency visits between patients with and without polypharmacy using an independent samples t-test. If the data are not normally distributed, I will use a non-parametric alternative like the Mann-Whitney U test. I will also create a contingency table to examine the relationship between polypharmacy and high ED utilization (defined as 2+ visits) and perform a chi-square test to assess this association.
Feedback Process
Your instructor will provide feedback on:
- The clarity and feasibility of your research question
- The appropriateness of your selected variables
- The suitability of your proposed statistical analyses
- Suggestions for strengthening your approach for the midterm paper
Discussion Assignment 2: Data Exploration
Assignment 2: Data Exploration
In this assignment, you will apply the initial steps of the Data Science RoadmapDownload Data Science Roadmap to our synthetic patient dataset Download synthetic patient datasetby formulating potential research questions that could guide data analysis. This process will help you develop the critical thinking skills needed to translate clinical questions into data-driven investigations and prepare you for the more extensive data analysis in your midterm project.
After completing this assignment, you will be able to:
- Formulate research questions that can be effectively addressed through healthcare data analysis
- Identify appropriate variables and their measurement levels for answering clinical questions
- Evaluate how data exploration could inform clinical decision-making
- Recognize potential data quality issues that might impact analysis
Part 1: Preparation (Complete Before Discussion)
Before participating in the discussion, we recommend that you explore the Module 4 learning activities (Guided Database ExerciseDownload Guided Database Exercise and Data Interpretation WorksheetDownload Data Interpretation Worksheet), which guide you through exploring the synthetic patient datasetDownload synthetic patient dataset. This will ensure your discussion contributions are well-developed and thoughtfully analyzed.
Part 2: Initial Discussion Post (250-300 words)
Drawing from the synthetic patient datasetDownload synthetic patient dataset, identify 2-3 potential research questions that could be answered with this data. For each question:
1. State the research question clearly and specifically:
- Frame your question to address a relationship between variables, a comparison between groups, or a trend over time
- Ensure the question is specific enough to guide data analysis
2. Identify the key variables needed to answer the question:
- List primary dependent and independent variables
- Classify these variables by their measurement level (nominal, ordinal, interval/ratio)
- Explain why you selected these specific variable
3. Explain the clinical relevance
- How could answers to this question influence nursing practice?
- What quality measures or patient outcomes might be improved?
- How might findings inform resource allocation or intervention design?