Wisdom versus Judgment

Wisdom versus Judgment

            The description of the meaning of wisdom in nursing informatics and professional nursing judgment is crucial to the comparison of the two concepts. According to McGonigle and Mastrian (2017), wisdom in nursing informatics refers to the awareness, knowledge and understanding of the appropriate processes and procedures in the practice of nursing. The informatics nurse is supposed to apply her knowledge and intuition in making sensible decisions that lead to accurate data and information to optimize the patient outcomes. On the other hand, professional nursing judgment concerns the use of knowledge, experience and intuition to determine the policy, protocols and procedures that apply to a nursing situation (Matney, Avant, & Staggers, 2016). An evaluation of the meanings of the two concepts shows that the concepts are similar. The application of knowledge and experience to determine the suitable actions in a situation is a key concern for both concepts. 

            The DIKW is a conceptual framework that underlies the practice of nursing informatics. It encompasses the concepts of data, informatics, knowledge and wisdom. I apply the DIKW framework to answer clinical questions relating to my practice. I work systematically through the four steps once I have identified an important clinical issue. First, I gather the relevant datasets describing the problem. Secondly, I generate information on the issue by combining the different datasets. Thirdly, I analyze and synthesize the information to determine the associations and interactions among the major factors influencing the clinical issue. Finally, I apply the knowledge derived from the information to guide my responses to the issue. The four steps guide my progress from simply having discreet data describing a patient or situation to the wisdom to make decisions that enhance my practice and patient outcomes.

References

Matney, S. A., Avant, K., & Staggers, N. (2016). Toward an understanding of wisdom in nursing. OJIN, 21(1), 7. doi:10.3912/OJIN.Vol21No01PPT02.

McGonigle, D., & Mastrian, K. G. (2015). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge

             (3rd ed.). Burlington, MA: Jones and Bartlett Learning.