Data Resource

Isabella Geriatric Center is located in upper Manhattan and has been providing long-term care services to the surrounding neighborhood since 1875. Isabella engaged the Capstone team to identify resident data that is pertinent to specific departments and recommend a mechanism for presentation and dissemination of this data. The team developed a “needs assessment” for resident data by interviewing key management staff and identified relevant examples of content, collection techniques, presentation styles, and dissemination methods. During the course of the project, Isabella attempted to develop a mechanism to house data reports in their intranet based on information obtained from the Capstone team. In an effort to further develop this reporting mechanism, the Capstone team compiled a gap analysis between the original needs assessment and the current reporting mechanism. In addition, the team compared it to a best practice reporting dashboard at a comparable organization to demonstrate how it can be further improved. Although Isabella now had a mechanism to disseminate reports, it did not give the staff the ability to trend and compare data. To address this issue, the team created a sample of trending data elements and definitions and worked with the senior staff to determine their importance and the best definition for each element. Furthermore, the team developed and instituted an assessment tool to help Isabella obtain feedback from the staff on the reporting tool. The tool will be used for future training purposes so that resident data can be accessed appropriately and presented effectively to all department heads via Isabella’s intranet.