Training activity information
Details
Critically review an organisation-wide informatics strategy, including issues of patient care and safety and how it relates to national policy and strategy and the underpinning evidence base
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
- Current national policies/strategies relating to the delivery of patient care and safety, and informatics, and their application
- Impact measures and evidence used to develop and evaluate informatics policies and strategies
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 specific aspects of critically reviewing an informatics strategy do you need to focus on to meet these outcomes?
- What specific insights do you hope to gain about the structure and content of an organisation-wide informatics strategy? What do you already know about informatics strategies, national health policy, and the relationship between them? How do you expect to enhance your understanding of how patient care and safety are integrated into these strategies? What do you anticipate learning about the evidence base that underpins such strategies?
- Discuss this training activity with your training officer to ensure you understand the scope and expectations. Review relevant national policies and guidance related to health informatics, patient care, and safety. Research examples of organisation-wide informatics strategies, if available. Consider potential challenges you might encounter in critically reviewing such a document (e.g., complexity, technical jargon) and think about how you might address them. Reflect on how you currently feel about undertaking this critical review and identify any areas where you might feel less confident.
In action
- What are you doing as you review the strategy? What specific sections are you focusing on first and why? Are you employing a particular method of critical appraisal?
- What decisions are you making about the strengths and weaknesses of the strategy as you progress through it? How are you weighing the different aspects like patient care, safety, and alignment with national policy?
- Which parts of this critical review feel more straightforward based on your prior knowledge? Where are you having to consciously apply specific criteria or look up information?
- How effective is your current approach in identifying key issues related to patient care, safety, and national policy? Are you finding the evidence base to be readily apparent?
- What challenges are you encountering in understanding or evaluating specific parts of the strategy? Are there areas where the language is unclear or the links between different elements are weak?
- What are you learning about informatics strategy review as you undertake this activity? Are you noticing any patterns or recurring themes?
- Are you considering alternative ways to approach the review, such as focusing on specific themes or using a different appraisal framework?
- Do you need to consult any additional resources or seek clarification on any points as you are reviewing?
- Are you ensuring your critical review remains within the scope of your understanding of informatics strategy and national policy?
On action
- Begin by summarising the key points of the experience of reviewing the informatics strategy. What were the main components and focuses of the strategy? What aspects related to patient care and safety stood out during your review? What connections did you observe between the organisational strategy, national policy, and the underpinning evidence base?
- What skills or knowledge did you develop or improve in critically appraising an informatics strategy? Did you gain a better understanding of how national policy influences local strategy? Were there any unexpected challenges or successes during your review? What did you learn from these regarding the complexities of strategic documents? In what ways might any reflection-in-action (your thoughts and decisions during the review) have influenced your understanding and analysis of the strategy? How does the ability to critically review such strategies relate to the requirements for post-programme practice as a Clinical Scientist?
- What areas for continued development have been identified in your ability to critically appraise strategic documents and their alignment with policy and evidence? How can you apply the learning from this activity to future tasks involving policy and strategy analysis? What actions / ‘next steps’ will you now take to deepen your understanding of informatics strategies and their relationship to patient care, safety, and national policy? What support or resources might you need to further develop your skills in this area?
Beyond action
- Looking back at your review of the informatics strategy, how does your current understanding of national policy, strategy, patient care, and safety compare? Have you reviewed other informatics strategies since this training activity? How does your approach to critical review compare to your initial experience? If you discussed this training activity with peers, has their perspective changed your understanding of the complexities of informatics strategy in relation to patient care and safety? Revisit your reflect-on-action notes for this training activity. What aspects now seem more or less significant in light of subsequent learning about policy, strategy, and patient safety?
- How has your ability to critically review informatics strategies influenced your approach to other documents or policies? Have you applied your understanding of the links between local strategy, national policy, and patient safety in other areas of your training or work? How did this initial experience of critically reviewing a strategy prepare you for understanding the broader context of health informatics within healthcare systems? Has this experience informed how you evaluate the evidence base underpinning policies and strategies
- What transferable skills, such as critical thinking and analytical skills, did you develop through this training activity that will be valuable in future strategic roles or policy development? What actions will you take to further develop your skills in critically appraising complex documents like informatics strategies? How might the ability to critically evaluate strategies contribute to your future ability to contribute to or develop effective and safe health informatics systems?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Critically appraise organisational informatics strategies in relation to national policy and strategy. |
| # 2 |
Outcome
Critically evaluate the application of quality control and quality assurance measures within organisational informatics strategies, including how patient care outcomes and patient safety are addressed. |