The Evidence-Based Path Leads to Quality: From Data to Information to Knowledge, Wise Actions Are Made
May 2006
We do not live in an age of information — rather ours is an age of data overload, and many of us are trying to make sense of all the facts, sound bites and numbers that fill our lives. We moderns generate a vast forest of factual data; our problem is that often we seem lost in that forest and fail to understand what is really going on. We cannot put it all in perspective; we do not know how to turn data into information. Data, information and knowledge — these are the three factors that lead to wise action. This is known as the evidence-based approach to reach one's goal. Here are two illustrations of how the evidence-based approach works in the business world and in healthcare.
- V. Tellis-Nayak, Ph.D.
