Many people might not of heard of the term KPI or key performance indicators. KPIs are very popular in the business world, but are they known or used in health care? Most importantly, are they reliable?
KPIs can deliver very useful and important information to the user, however, these KPIs rely on a lot of data. This is where data virtualization come into play. Data is everywhere, but it's pertinent to get these data in an easy, understandable presentation where the end user, whether it's a clinician or a patient, can understand this data and achieve valuable information quickly. Presentation is everything, data can be presented in a form of a dashboard to consolidate all the important information for immediate use.
There are many uses for such KPI dashboard, however, I can see how they are applicable in two main areas, in a hospital/ward and in a PHR (personal health records). One example in a ward KPI would be looking at the number of occupant beds, the time of last doctor/nurse visit, and last drug administered, if any. However, in terms of a PHR, the information provided would be tailored to the user him/herself. For example, the patient's PHR could be in the form of a web app or a smartphone app, or both. In that case, the patient should see clear data presetations to immediately provide informatin on their condition, medication taken, and time remaining for the next dose to be administered.
As a lot of these KIPs and applications exist, do we have enough information to understand if the end user is actually benefiting from such data? There are many uses of KPIs in health care and how they can be implemented in a patient's or health care professional's daily life and put in good use. Again, the presentation of data is everything.