Information and Knowledge Management

Details

Title

Information and Knowledge Management

Type

Stage Two

Module code

HBI125

Requirement

Compulsory

Module objective

Accountable person-centred care, citizen-driven health opportunities and approaches that improve quality, effectiveness, safety and accessibility will be the key indicators on how successful improvements and the value of them to health and care are demonstrated. Effective use and management of information and knowledge is a key enabler for an ongoing improvement across organisations and health and care economies.

By the end of this module the Clinical Scientist in HSST will understand and have a critical awareness of key current issues in information and knowledge management in a variety of healthcare contexts. They will have the capability to harness, interpret, evaluate, judge and apply the concepts, principles and techniques of knowledge and information management. Additionally, they will understand how knowledge is conceptualised in health; the nature of knowledge and its practical significance; the various forms in which clinical and scientific knowledge exists; how it can be accessed and shared; how knowledge can be formally represented; and how it can be used in decision making.

The Clinical Scientist in HSST will be able to create an environment for safely discovering and using information and knowledge for advantage and lead, and think critically and epistemologically when dealing with challenges in the information society and the new knowledge economy within the health and care landscapes. They will also be able to discuss and implement solutions in the context of extant policy, and identify and use qualitative methods to gather an understanding of how information/knowledge should be used and shared, and the social and organisational influences on this.

Stage 2 HSST education and training is designed to ensure the Clinical Scientist in HSST is learning and working at the cutting edge of science. Where necessary, given the speed at which science and technology develops, those delivering training and the Clinical Scientist in HSST together are expected to identify emerging developments that may be outside those specifically detailed in the Stage 2 modules and gain the knowledge and skills to take them forward.

Knowledge and understanding

By the end of this module the Clinical Scientist in HSST will be able to analyse, synthesise, evaluate and critically apply their expert knowledge to advanced information and knowledge management of patients, patient care, business management and health services, including:

• The current informatics research literature in health information and knowledge management areas.
• Different types of clinical knowledge and their sources within and outside medicine (genomics, imaging, social care, etc.), how they can be applied to make clinical and operational decisions.
• Models for effective acquisition and storage of information and knowledge, including strengths and limitations when applied in different settings and scenarios.
• How current and potential policy and resource (e.g. economic) affect decision making and the implementation of healthcare interventions.
• How to use qualitative research methods to gather stakeholder requirements, values and views, and translate these into the design of an effective knowledge management system.
• A whole-system understanding of the implications and performance of interventions and decision making, and how to evaluate these (including impact, outcome measures, assessment against original requirements).
• How to develop and assess evidence-based search strategies and guidelines to support clinical, management and operational decision making, with an understanding of the strengths and limitations of knowledge sources.
• How to develop knowledge management systems and environments that will build innovative ‘team- science’ approaches to research and development and drive the reproducibility of scientific work when working with health data to enhance healthcare interventions.

Technical and clinical skills

By the end of this module the Clinical Scientist in HSST will have a critical understanding of current evidence and its application to the performance and mastery of a range of technical skills and will be able to apply this to areas such as information governance; clinical governance and audit; advanced information retrieval, evaluation, analysis and interpretation; organisational information needs assessment; information strategies formulation and implementation; clinical safety, effectiveness and decision making; and knowledge transfer and sharing of best practice.

In addition, the Clinical Scientist in HSST will be able to:

• Devise, perform and master effective search strategies of current literature and analysis as it applies to a informatics intervention in order to determine current knowledge and how findings can contribute to procurement and development of future tools and systems to ensure that information/data is
• reliable, up to date, consistent and ‘fit for use’/’fit for purpose’.
• Correlate and cross-reference data and content requirements to the range of clinical and business needs to advise those who rely on information how to use it effectively.
• Provide guidance in relation to organisational structures, policies, procedures, and technology and controls for enterprise information management that represent the highest standards for legal, ethical and business practice while serving patients and stakeholders and advancing the public good.
• Advise, devise strategies and models on how to capture, diffuse and reuse organisational (system) information to get the most out of the diversity of knowledge in one’s organisation, professional domain, or health economy.
• Critically assess health knowledge management systems, propose future models, justify these proposals in the context of Health Informatics to a range of stakeholders, including senior management.
• Develop, evaluate and know how to implement local policies to support information and knowledge management.
• Critically reflect on the challenges of applying research to practice in relation to these areas of practice and suggest improvements, building on a critique of available evidence.

Professional practice

The Clinical Scientist in HSST will:

• Critically reflect and apply in practice a range of clinical and communication skills as they work in partnership with the public, patients, clinicians, academics and other healthcare professionals.
• Critically analyse the practice of Health Informatics, ensuring that regular review of research and evidence is undertaken so that adaptation to practice can be made in a timely and cost-effective manner.
• Protect research data on conclusion of the project in order to defend any relevant publication and/or challenge to the research findings.