Wisdom was first included in the definition of nursing informatics in the American Nurses Association 2008 edition (Matney, Staggers & Clark, 2016). There are not many exhaustive studies concerning wisdom within the nursing profession. It has been found to hold a myriad of activities including emotional, ethical, intuitive and intellectual (Matney, Staggers & Clark, 2016). The intellect encompasses expertise, aptitude, and apprehension. According to Nelson, nurses must understand the current issue, differentiate between available options and deliberate on innovative methods to rectify it (Matney, Staggers & Clark, 2016). The goal with this is to attain a right end, and therefore nurses must incorporate societal values and ethical considerations in carrying out their duty.
On the other hand, professional nursing judgment is founded on knowledge and gathered incidences overtime. Also, it involves logical thinking, instincts, clinical reasoning and acquired skills honed from incidences that have evidence (Matney, Staggers & Clark, 2016). Clinical judgment is utilized by nurses to evaluate patients, manage and clarify their data to pinpoint and address patients’ needs. It is often used to establish a diagnosis, appropriate care and raising the quality of care (Matney, Staggers & Clark, 2016).
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DIKW (Data, Information, Knowledge, Wisdom) is a model that illustrates the relationships between data, information, knowledge, and wisdom in nursing practice. Data refers to raw individual concepts which are then organized and interpreted for use (Matney, Staggers & Clark, 2016). The interpreted information is combined and examined to recognize and establish linkages. Afterward, the nurses have to use previous knowledge to control and provide the necessary solutions to the identified problem.
An example of DIKW in use while taking care of a patient with heart issues would be: taking figures of their heartbeat rate, temperature, etc. then using these plus other vitals written in their medical history, and comparing them with each other. The nurse can then identify recurring patterns by applying her knowledge. Through the understanding of various measures of remedy given, one synthesizes the information. The nurse can, therefore, design proper and appropriate medication, i.e., taking into concern allergy issues, etc.
Nurses use the DIKW model to gather information from their patients through questions on how they are feeling, e.g. nauseated, experiencing chills and taking their temperature and body weight. That makes up data when viewed independently. The collected data is then considered as a whole to infer conclusions, e.g. high temperatures accompanied by chills shows that the patient has a fever. They can then use this information and what they know from practice to understand what is ailing the patient, e.g. health related illnesses that may have been picked up within the hospital. Nurses are then able to give the appropriate treatment depending on the age of the patient. That’s Wisdom in use.
Reference
Matney, S., Staggers, N., & Clark, L. (2016). Nurses’ wisdom in action in the emergency department. Global Qualitative Nursing Research , 3 , 233339361665008. Pgs.1-2 doi: 10.1177/2333393616650081
