Explain what data-to-wisdom continuum is  

The data to wisdom continuum is a concept of data synthesis that seeks to earn meaningful information which produces the knowledge that is necessary in having the right wisdom to make informed clinical decisions. The continuum moves from data to information to knowledge to wisdom with constant interactions within and across these concepts. According to the DIKW continuum, data is the most critical element and is produced through manual or automated methods of observation. Information is obtained by integrating various data point to form meaningful depiction of the situation.

In other words, information is obtained when meaning is attached to organized and processed data. According to this concept, knowledge is obtained when information is further organized and processed. When nurses have gathered enough knowledge in a field, they are permitted to use it to make clinical decisions regarding patient care. The last component of the DIKW continuum is wisdom, which is achieved by utilizing the knowledge acquired from meaningful information.

Provide one example of your own application as an example.

My own example of DIKW continuum application is reviewing electronic medical records of a patient to obtain data regarding treatment. This means gathering data from the patient’s past medical history. The organized data according to the DIKW continuum becomes information. Therefore, analyzing the medical history of a patient helps obtain relevant information for use in the clinical decisions. Further organization and processing of the information obtained from the medical record would culminate to knowledge. This is to mean that a critical analysis of medical records could provide me with knowledge of what medical procedures a patient has undergone within a certain period. The knowledge obtained from the review would guide me on taking the most appropriate action. The knowledge also makes me as a provider more knowledgeable on the health condition at hand and how best to handle it in subsequent days. APA