Training activity information
Details
Validate a pipeline
Type
Developmental training activity (DTA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee​.
Reflection on the activity at one or more time points after the event including learning from the activity and/or areas of the trainees practice for development.
An action plan to implement learning and/or to address skills or knowledge gaps identified.
Considerations
- Selecting data with appropriate control cases and justifying the choice
- Sensitivity and specificity
- Patient safety and confidentiality
- Data integrity
- Validation documentation
Reflective practice guidance
The guidance below is provided to support reflection at different time points, providing you with questions to aid you to reflect for this training activity. They are provided for guidance and should not be considered as a mandatory checklist. Trainees should not be expected to provide answers to each of the guidance questions listed.
Before action
- What is the difference between testing and validation? Why is pipeline validation critical for clinical use?
- Are you familiar with validation principles and methodologies? Do you understand the importance of using independent datasets for validation?
- How will you design a robust validation strategy? What criteria will you use to determine if a pipeline is validated?
- Will you research pipeline validation best practices? Will you consider what kind of data would be suitable for validation?
In action
- What data are you using for validation? How does this data differ from your testing data? Why is it appropriate for validation?
- What metrics or criteria are you using to determine if the pipeline is successfully validated? What are the thresholds for success?
- As you run the validation, are the results meeting the predetermined criteria? If not, what steps are you taking to investigate the discrepancies?
- Are you encountering any unexpected outputs or behaviours during validation? How are you adapting your approach to analyse these?
- How confident are you in the validity of the pipeline based on the results you are observing? What further checks or analyses might be beneficial?
On action
- What data did you use for validation, and what were the key results? Did the pipeline meet your validation criteria? Were there any discrepancies or unexpected outcomes? What did you notice about the validation process?
- What did you learn about the importance of validation in software development? How does validation differ from testing? What are the key considerations for designing a robust validation process? What skills related to quality assurance and software validation did you develop or improve? How did your reflect-in-action during the validation process (e.g., analysing unexpected results) inform your understanding of the pipeline’s reliability?
- What will you take from this experience regarding how to design and interpret the results of a software validation process? Are there specific validation techniques or metrics you want to explore further?
Beyond action
- Considering your initial experience with pipeline validation. How has your understanding of the principles of validation, including the use of validation data and the assessment of sensitivity and specificity, evolved through later activities or learning about quality assurance in a clinical laboratory?
- Have you encountered different approaches to validation or learned about specific validation metrics used in clinical bioinformatics since completing this training activity?
- Compare the validation data you used in this training activity to the types of data used for validation in other contexts you have encountered. What have you learned about the characteristics of effective validation datasets?
- Consider the critical role of validation in ensuring the clinical utility and reliability of bioinformatics pipelines used for diagnostic purposes. How does your experience in this training activity inform your appreciation of the need for rigorous validation?
- How will your developing skills in software validation contribute to your ability to develop and deploy bioinformatics pipelines that meet the required standards for clinical use?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 3 |
Outcome
Apply best practice in software development and code testing. |
| # 4 |
Outcome
Modify, install, update and test software. |
| # 6 |
Outcome
Appraise the application of the software development and management cycle in a healthcare environment. |