Topic 5 Responses

DQ 1 Responses

DQ 1 Response to SM

Hello, SM.

Thank you for a comprehensive and educative discussion. You provide valuable insights

into decision trees and their use in healthcare. I agree that decision trees support clinical

decision-making. The approach is often adopted where the choices, for instance, treatment

approaches, are uncertain (Chrimes, 2023). Regarding the Avian flu treatment decision tree, the

algorithm helps determine whether the antiviral drug is an effective treatment. It considers

several factors, which are highlighted on the branches or decision tree classifiers, including time

to give the antiviral such as immediately, after diagnosis, and after symptoms onset. Another

factor considered was hospital stays. Effective treatment leads to shorter hospital stays, implying

that it can be adopted as a suitable measure. However, comprehensive analytics requires

consideration of more than one measure; hence more branches can be added to this decision tree.

I agree the cost-effectiveness, hospital readmission, and mortality rates can be added as

additional measures on the decision tree.

References

Chrimes D. (2023). Using Decision Trees as an Expert System for Clinical Decision Support for

COVID-19. Interactive journal of medical research, 12, e42540.

https://doi.org/10.2196/42540
DQ 1 Response to RD

Hello, RD.

Thank you for the great post. Indeed decision trees are an algorithm that aids clinical

decision-making, helping physicians to select the most promising treatment. In the course

example of the Avian Flu treatment decision tree, the algorithm uses consequences and measures

of adopting the antiviral drug to determine whether it is an effective treatment. One treatment

outcome, in this case, hospital stay, is used solely, but other outcomes and measures can be

adopted, including risks and costs of the treatment, to make a more comprehensive decision. I

agree that this decision tree could accommodate illness acuity and predictive outcomes like

mortality and survivability as additional branches to help make a robust decision on the antiviral

drug (Lee et al., 2019). Indeed underlying healthcare problems and comorbidities impact the type

of treatment for each patient, and these aspects can be added to the algorithm to ensure that the

antiviral drug treatment is the best option.

References

Lee, J., Kim, S., & Yoon, T. (2019). Treatment of various avian influenza virus based on

comparison using decision tree algorithm. MATEC Web of Conferences, 69,

01004. https://doi.org/10.1051/matecconf/20166901004

DQ 1 Response to CM

Hello, CM.
 Thank you for sharing valuable insights into the discussion topic. I learned a lot from

your post regarding the use of decision trees in examining complex relationships. I agree that

decision trees help segment population variables using decision tree classifiers to understand

various relationships, including causality or correlation between the variables (Lavanya, 2021).

Health providers are accountable for making delegation decisions to manage and provide suitable

care for their patients, including selecting a treatment modality. Therefore, decisions must be as

accurate and robust as possible, and decision trees can help assess the relationships between the

high-risk variables. In the case of the Avian Flu, I agree that human physiological responses to

the disease and the treatment can be added to the decision tree to determine treatment

effectiveness.

References

Lavanya, S. (2021, December 2). Application of tree-based models for healthcare analysis -

Breast cancer analysis. Analytics

Vidhya. https://www.analyticsvidhya.com/2021/12/application-of-tree-based-models-for-

healthcare-analysis/

DQ 2 Responses

DQ 2 Response to JB

Hi, JB.

Thank you for an informative and insightful discussion, offering a comprehensive

assessment of data collection methods and data sources to support patient care. I agree that data
collection is an integral part of healthcare decision-making in the evidence-based practice era,

where providers are encouraged to make informed decisions. Primary data is first-hand, and for

research purposes, the researcher goes to the field to interact with data sources, including human

participants or experimental animals (Benedictine University Library, 2022). The same applies to

electronic health records (EHR), in which primary data is obtained directly from patient

assessments, including demographic, health histories, financial, and socioeconomic data. I

concur that secondary data is already available, including test results from previous assessments

or administrative data. The EHR adopts both data sources to guide diagnosis and treatment.

References

Benedictine University Library. (2022, August 19). Research guides: Public health research

guide: Primary & secondary data definitions. Research Guides at Benedictine University

Library. https://researchguides.ben.edu/c.php?g=282050&p=4036581

DQ 2 Response to CM

Hello, CM.

I enjoyed reading your discussion for its comprehensiveness and clarity. I agree that

primary data entered into the electronic health record (EHR) is obtained directly from the patient,

including vital signs, demographics, lab test results, socioeconomic data and any other

information the patient shares (Ehrenstein et al., 2019). Physicians can also use previous

administrative data like health insurance and old imaging results as secondary data sources to

help make decisions regarding disease diagnosis and patient treatment. Both data sources are

crucial as they support informed decisions and bolster the clinical decision-support elements of
the EHR. You have discussed in depth the advantages and disadvantages of both data sources,

which I highly appreciate because it helps determine which data source is suitable in what

circumstances.

References

Ehrenstein, V., Kharrazi, H., & Lehmann, H. (2019). Obtaining Data from Electronic Health

Records. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (US).

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/books/NBK551878/

DQ 2 Response to KM

Hi, KM.

Your discussion was engaging and educative. Indeed primary and secondary data sources

are vital in supporting patient care regardless of their shortcomings and differences. Primary data

sources are preferable in most situations because they are specific to a patient and their health

problems, unlike secondary data sources that were analyzed and adopted for a different patient

and health problem (Schneider et al., 2023). Secondary data sources must be reviewed for their

applicability and usefulness to the current situation, and they mostly help make informed

decisions about similar events. Primary data entered in the electronic health records (EHR) is

obtained from patients, including demographic, health histories, social histories, vital signs,

health promotion data, and any other shared by the patient. The data is used primarily to inform

diagnosis and suitable treatment. I agree that previous test results and administrative data are

secondary data sources adopted to guide clinical decision-making.

 References

Schneider, A., Wagenknecht, A., Sydow, H., Riedlinger, D., Holzinger, F., Figura, A.,

Deutschbein, J., Reinhold, T., Pigorsch, M., Stasun, U., Schenk, L., & Möckel, M.

(2023). Primary and secondary data in emergency medicine health services research – a

comparative analysis in a regional research network on multimorbid patients. BMC

Medical Research Methodology, 23(1). https://doi.org/10.1186/s12874-023-01855-2