Introduction
Knowledge and wisdom are the fundamental elements of the nursing practice. Health care practitioners apply a wide range of theoretical and practical knowledge and approaches in their roles. In the contemporary age, In today’s context health care professionals need a significant amount of data and new knowledge for the purpose of delivering appropriate and quality health care services to the patients. The major question developed within the framework of this paper is clinical simulation and its role in health care practice. The crucial importance of this matter "is on the point of having a significant impact on health care education across professional boundaries and in both the undergraduate and postgraduate arena" (Bradley, 2006, p. 254).
Consequently, one of the fundamental questions that needs to be answered within this context is how the four steps of the data, information, knowledge, wisdom continuum relate to the above-mentioned topic and how data and information relating to clinical simulation might be turned into useable knowledge for the purpose of clinical skills advancement. In other words, the question is how the received information and acquired information related to the topic might be used to gain wisdom as well as put into practice in the health care setting.
Summary
In the first place, it should be noted that "data are the fundamental element of cognition, the common denominator on which all constructs are based, and are stored in information systems" (Gudea, 2005, p. 1). Data is the primary and basic element on which further information and knowledge are built upon. Speaking from the context of simulation in medical education, data from numerous studies and researches demonstrates that as of today patient simulation practices are employed by more than 30% of all medical schools and institutions all over the country, "and at hundreds of medical centers, universities and colleges throughout the world" (Good, 2003, p. 15). Taking into consideration that data bear relation to given facts and specific attributes, attaching and incorporating meaning to data converts them into semantic data, otherwise referred to as information. Therefore, the above-mentioned data might be used to acquire information regarding patient simulation training, its use and effectiveness in different health care settings.
Knowledge, at the following level, means prioritized and contextualized information, "which is information interpreted by the receiver and from the perspective of the receiver" (Gudea, 2005, p. 1). For instance, according to Gordon and Buckley (2009), "recognition of and early intervention for patients with acutely deteriorating conditions is often the responsibility of medical-surgical nurses" (p. 1). When this information is contextualized speaking within the context of medical simulation and from the viewpoint of the receiver, the latter acquires knowledge regarding the impact of simulation procedures on health care practitioners' ability, certainty and confidence "in responding to patient clinical emergencies" (Gordon & Buckley, 2009, p. 1). In other words, the acquired knowledge can be effectively applied in managing and solving of the determined problems, particularly the most effective manner of medical simulation application.
Wisdom, in its turn, can be determined as evaluated understanding of a particular subject-matter. In other words, wisdom is the major process by which we also determine or judge, whether a particular thing or occurrence is right or wrong, effective or ineffective, etc. Therefore, "the highest level on this continuum-wisdom-pertains to a state of refined, sublimated knowledge that affords the receiver the potential to optimize interaction with the environment" (Gudea, 2005, p. 1).
Sublimated knowledge that medical simulation provides multiple potential strategies and approaches for integral and all-encompassing practical training, and nonhazardous patient health care, helps health care professionals acquire wisdom regarding efficient management of medical simulation practices. According to Datta, Upadhyay, and Jaideep (2012), medical simulation "is a technique, rather than just a technology that promotes experiential and reflective learning" (p. 167). This particular knowledge helps gain wisdom, which might be useful for explaining and managing the predicaments occurring in the course of medical simulation.
Conclusion
Taking everything mentioned above into consideration, one should draw a conclusion that informatics can definitely be used to gain wisdom. Isolated data in and of itself cannot give answers to the questions determined within the particular subject-matter. However, it is the key elements, which is used in the development of a clinical research question. The first step of the process is converting segmental and disjointed data into relevant information. Therefore, retrieved synthesized data is the fundamental step in the process of obtaining an answer the question and attaining wisdom. When information is contextualized and interpreted form the viewpoint of the receiver, it becomes valuable knowledge. Evaluated understanding of the acquired knowledge leads to the attainment of wisdom, which is of crucial importance for practical training and effective management of medical simulation in health care settings.
Therefore, informatics helps the health care practitioners to develop crucial skills of acquiring and applying nursing information and knowledge. As a result, it also has a profound effect on the efficient management and application of this acquired information.
References
Bradley, P. (2006). The history of simulation in medical education and possible future directions. Medical Education, 40(3), 254-262.
Datta, R., Upadhyay, K., & Jaideep, C. (2012). Simulation and its role in medical education. Medical Journal Armed Forces India, 68(2), 167-172.
Good. M. (2003). Patient simulation for training basic and advanced clinical skills. Medical Education. 37,14-21.
Gordon, C., & Buckley. T. (2009). The effect of high-fidelity simulation training on medical-surgical graduate nurses' perceived ability to respond to patient clinical emergencies. Journal of Continuing Education in Nursing. 40(11), 491-500.
Gudea, S. (2005). Data, Information, Knowledge: A Healthcare Enterprise Case Study. Perspectives in Health Information Management, 2(8), 1-9. Retrieved March 25, 2016, from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2047317/
