A Comprehensive Analysis of Emergency Room Visits: A Power BI Dashboard Project
Introduction
In the realm of healthcare data, the analysis of emergency department (ED) visits provides critical insights that can enhance patient care and optimize resource allocation. This blog post presents a comprehensive project that leverages Power BI to analyze and visualize data related to ED visits across 2019 and 2020, with a particular focus on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
Project Overview
The project involved meticulous data collection, careful data integration, creative visualization creation, thoughtful customization, and strategic dashboard assembly. Each step was crucial in creating a comprehensive and user-friendly dashboard that not only presents data but tells a story.
Data Source
The data source used for this project is a text file called “Hospital ER” downloaded from data.world. The data includes information such as patient ID, patient gender, patient age, patient wait time, department referral, and patient satisfaction score. This rich dataset provides a comprehensive view of the patient journey in the emergency room.
https://data.world/markbradbourne/rwfd-real-world-fake-data
Building Visualizations
The heart of any dashboard lies in its visualizations. For our ER visits dashboard, we created a variety of visualizations to represent different aspects of the data:
- Number of Patients Visiting the ER
We created a visualization to count the number of patients visiting the emergency room over the time period in the data set. This gives a quick snapshot of the volume of patients handled by the ER.
- Patient Gender
A visualization was created to show the percentage breakdown of patients by gender. This helps in understanding the gender distribution of the patients visiting the ER.
- Patient Satisfaction and Average wait Time
Similarly, created a line graph to show the average patient satisfaction score over time. Additionally, a similar line graph was created for the average patient wait time. These visualizations provide insights into the patient experience in the ER.
- Patients by Age
An area graph was created to show the number of patients by age group over time. This helps in understanding the age distribution of the patients and can aid in tailoring healthcare services to different age groups.
- Heat Map of Patient Volumes
A heat map was created to show the patterns of patient volumes by day of the week and time of day. This can help in identifying peak times and planning staffing schedules accordingly.
- Patients by Race
A bar graph was created to show the number of patients by race. This can help in identifying any disparities in healthcare access among different racial groups.
- Patients by Department Referral
A bar graph was created to show the number of patients by the department they were referred to. This can help in understanding the flow of patients within the hospital and planning inter-departmental collaborations.
Building the Dashboard
After creating the visualizations, the next step was to assemble them into a dashboard. We created a new dashboard with a fixed size for a generic desktop. Containers and tiles were added to organize the visualizations. The tiles were formatted with a consistent color scheme to create a visually appealing and cohesive look. Tooltips were added to provide more context for the visualizations. The inner and outer padding of the containers were adjusted to create separation between visualizations.
Conclusion
This data-driven analysis serves as a testament to the power of information in healthcare optimization. As we emerge from the pandemic, leveraging data-driven insights will be instrumental in improving ED wait times and enhancing patient satisfaction in a post-COVID world. Our Power BI dashboard project provides a comprehensive and interactive platform for healthcare professionals to explore these insights and make informed decisions.
Final Thoughts
Creating a Power BI dashboard for “Emergency Room Visits” is a multi-step process that involves data collection, data integration, visualization creation, customization, dashboard assembly, and interactivity enhancement. Each step is crucial in creating a comprehensive and user-friendly dashboard.
The insights generated from this dashboard can greatly aid healthcare professionals in their decision-making processes. Understanding the volume of patients, the departments they are referred to, the average wait times, and the monthly trends can lead to more efficient resource allocation, improved patient care, and enhanced operational efficiency.
So, whether you’re a healthcare professional looking to improve your ER’s efficiency, or a data enthusiast interested in healthcare analytics, creating a Power BI dashboard for “Emergency Room Visits” can provide valuable insights and drive data-driven decisions. Happy dashboarding! 📊🚑
Email- nksawhney96@gmail.com
LinkedIn- https://www.linkedin.com/in/nikhilsawhney96/
