Connecting for Health and NPfIT: Florence Nightingale on Information and Outcomes

"In attempting to arrive at the truth, I have applied everywhere for information, but in scarcely an instance have I been able to obtain hospital records fit for any purpose of comparison."

Florence Nightingale struggled to find adequate, comparable information about healthcare provision in the Crimean hospitals. Even in today’s NHS it can sometimes seem that we are drowning in data but starved of information.

Were she here today, Florence might point out that:

• Implementing better IT systems will not automatically improve data quality
• Data still have to be analysed and processes to provide relevant information—but what information is relevant?
• Information may be converted to knowledge, but how can knowledge be managed?

Implement health IT so that it produces high quality information that supports operational and strategic decision making. Let Kinetic Consulting help you to make information count.

• Heraclitus on change and ambiguity
• Socrates on learning from experience
• Picasso on innovation