The organization must clarify how the data will be used and who will use them. It is not unusual for data to have duplicate uses. These must be clearly defined so that the data can be collected and warehoused accordingly. In the case where an application is developed for data that already have been collected, it is essential to understand the original applications for which the data were intended. The process by which data elements are accumulated.
Data collection begins with an assessment of the application.
For example, one facility set a performance goal that a set percentage of ambulatory care patients would be seen within 30 minutes. Each clinic had to report whether it had met this goal on a monthly basis. The clinic managers developed a sheet on which the clerks had to record the patient's ID and the time he or she checked in at the counter as well as the time he or she was shown to a room. The purpose of this was to calculate waiting times. On the face of it, this seems a reasonable way to proceed, except for the fact that it places a strenuous data collection burden on the clinic clerks.