Clinical Data-Mining: Integrating Practice and Research

This publication emerges in the context of ongoing debate and discussion amongst practitioners and researchers working in the health and social services about evidence based practice and practitioner research. Clinical data mining (CDM) as a method is located within Epstein’s aspirations of ‘ . . . seeking ways to successfully engage practitioners in research studies, research consumption, research ways of thinking, and ultimately, research utilization’ (p. 8) and ‘ . . . empowering practitioners as knowledge generators as well as appliers . . . (to) take ownership of what they do, why they do it, and of the correlates if not the proven consequences of their actions’ (p. 34). This publication makes a very worthwhile contribution to this vast pool of literature, but is a welcoming exception in that it provides the ‘how’ of practitioner research more than the ‘why’ thereof. The publication reflects the author’s personal journey to the discovery and use of clinical data alongside highly academic and rigorous discussions on data-mining, all in a very engaging writing style. The book is organized into seven chapters. Chapter 1 focuses on some of the core concepts, including the term ‘clinical social work practice’. This term is used in the widest possible sense in the book, and it is unfortunate that the title might create a different impression as ‘clinical’ social work is a term often used in a very restricted way outside of the USA. However, the more restricted meaning may well capture the interest of the readers of this journal’s special edition on health and wellbeing. Chapter 2 discusses the author’s own discovery of CDM and also, on a broader level, proposes why practitioners should be involved in research drawing on the advantages of studies based around CDM. This chapter will resonate with social work educators passionate about continuing education and professional development of the health and social service workforce. Chapter 3 returns to the working definition of CDM and outlines the process and principals of using such a design. The book situates CDM as a practice-based research (as opposed to research-based practice) strategy and the discussion of the context and backdrop to CDM is followed by a robust discussion on the science of CDM, defined as: