Training activity information
Details
Review a digital health tool in use in the local healthcare organisation and map the data architecture underpinning it
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
- Impact of data latency on tool function
- Applicability of data protection principles in the way the tool stores, processes and analyses data
- Benefit of using a digital health tool in preference to an alternative method
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 aspects of digital health tools and data architecture might they highlight? What prior knowledge of digital health tools and data architecture concepts do you need before starting this review?
- What specific insights do you hope to gain about the practical implementation and data flow within a digital health tool? What is your current understanding of how data architecture supports the function of digital health tools?
- Have you discussed with your training officer which digital health tool you will review and who you might need to speak to within the organisation? What potential difficulties might you face in accessing information or understanding the data architecture? How will you plan to overcome these? How do you feel about engaging with the technical aspects of a digital health tool and its infrastructure?
In action
- As you review the tool and attempt to map its data architecture, what decisions are you making about how to gather information and represent the data flow?
- How effectively are you able to trace the data flow? What challenges are you encountering in understanding the architecture? What adjustments are you making to your mapping approach?
- Are you identifying any intuitive connections between the tool’s function and its data architecture, or is this requiring deliberate analysis?
- Are you considering alternative ways the data might be structured or how the information flows?
On action
- What were the main functions of the digital health tool you reviewed? What did you observe about its data architecture? Were there any key points in the data flow that stood out?
- What did you learn about how digital health tools are integrated into a healthcare organisation’s infrastructure? What new insights did you gain into data architecture and flow in this context? Were there any unexpected complexities or simplifications in the data architecture? What did you learn from these observations? How did your approach to reviewing the tool and mapping its architecture influence your understanding of its underlying systems? How does understanding the data architecture of digital health tools contribute to your role?
- What aspects of data architecture mapping would you like to develop further? How will you apply your understanding of data flow when encountering new digital health tools? What specific actions will you take? What resources or techniques could help you improve your ability to map and understand data architectures?
Beyond action
- Have you revisited your review and data map? Considering your subsequent learning, how accurate and comprehensive was your initial understanding?
- Have you observed aspects of data architecture or tool usage that you didn’t fully appreciate during this review? How does this comparison inform your understanding?
- Looking back at your reflections from this and other training activities, what key lessons have you learned about the practicalities of digital health tool implementation and data flow? What are your next steps for learning?
- Have you discussed your review with colleagues who use the tool or have knowledge of its architecture? Did this provide new insights?
- How has mapping the data architecture influenced your thinking about data privacy, security, or interoperability in other activities?
- How has this practical experience of reviewing a tool influenced your ability to critically evaluate digital health tools more broadly? How has your wider practice been affected?
- How might this experience of understanding the underlying data structure of a digital health tool contribute to your future work, such as system integration or troubleshooting? What skills have you developed, and what further skills do you need?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 1 |
Outcome
Describe the purpose and function of Decision Support Tools in healthcare. |
| # 2 |
Outcome
Appraise the risk and benefits of using Decision Support Tools in clinical practice. |