Data Fidelity: Building Credible Reports

Abstract

Clean, accurate data, also known as data fidelity, support school nurses’ professional credibility in the school setting by allowing them to report their work and outcomes to important stakeholders. School nurses collect data every day through documentation, creating an essential record of the health needs of students and how school nurses meet those needs. To report these data effectively, school nurses should use standard definitions, technology, or standardized forms and review their data regularly to maintain accurate data. All school nurses, no matter how they document, should be thinking of data fidelity. This is the fourth article in the 2018-2019 NASN School Nurse article series on data.