LSBU leads project to examine big data around nursing
Complex "big data" will be analysed to measure the efficiency and effectiveness of staffing levels in nursing at one NHS TrustProfessor Alison Leary - Chair of Healthcare & Workforce Modelling at London South Bank University – has partnered with Wolfram Research and the National Health Service to examine data supplied by University Hospital Coventry & Warwickshire NHS Trust.
Phase one of the project will see Oxfordshire-based Wolfram develop algorithms for data supplied by the Trust, which has a large body of routinely-collected data ready for analysis. Ultimately the aim will be to help the hospital predict when, where and how to deploy its staff in any given situation.
"At the moment, complexities of data and modelling often seem insurmountable to hospitals, which means knowledge remains hidden," said Professor Leary, who is the project lead.
"Applying advanced mathematical models can dramatically improve results, but health is a very complex area to model. Data is typically fuzzy, so it needs a careful, sophisticated approach to garner optimised results."