Training activity information
Details
Back up and archive data and reports from intraoperative neuromonitoring for spinal surgeries
Type
Entrustable training activity (ETA)
Evidence requirements
Evidence the activity has been undertaken by the trainee repeatedly, consistently, and effectively over time, in a range of situations. This may include occasions where the trainee has not successfully achieved the outcome of the activity themselves. For example, because it was not appropriate to undertake the task in the circumstances or the trainees recognised their own limitations and sought help or advice to ensure the activity reached an appropriate conclusion.
Reflection at multiple timepoints on the trainee learning journey for this activity.
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 does success look like?
- What are the specific requirements for successfully backing up and archiving both the raw data and the final reports?
- How does the archival of reports fit into the overall patient pathway for spinal surgery?
- What does a secure and accessible archive look like, and how does it support the dissemination of results?
- What clarity have you gained from your Training Officer regarding the local protocols for data integrity and long-term storage?
What is your prior experience of this activity?
- What do you already know about the technical process of data backup within your department?
- What challenges, such as software compatibility or system storage limits, do you anticipate during the archival process?
- How do you recognise when a technical failure in the archival system requires you to escalate the issue to external services or internal IT departments?
- How do you feel about the importance of this task in maintaining the medicolegal record of the patient’s surgery?
What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?
- What specific skills related to data management and archival integrity do you want to refine?
- What insights will you gain into the systematic flow of a patient’s neurophysiological record from referral to long-term archive?
In action
Is anything unexpected occurring?
- Are you noticing anything different from the anticipated workflow while attempting to archive the raw data or final reports?
- Are you encountering a technical hurdle, such as a network connection failure, a software incompatibility, or insufficient storage capacity on the archival system?
- Does a corruption in the file transfer process challenge your ability to verify the integrity of the patient’s record?
How are you reacting to the unexpected development?
- How is the technical failure impacting your actions—are you initiating a secondary backup protocol or seeking help from IT services immediately?
- Are you having to adapt your approach to ensure the data is de-identified and stored according to data security legislation while troubleshooting the system?
- How are you feeling in the moment—is the technical delay affecting your confidence in completing the patient pathway for this case?
What is the conclusion or outcome?
- Are you successfully securing the archival of the case while working within the local protocols for data integrity?
- What are you learning about the systematic flow of IONM data as a result of navigating these technical barriers?
- Are you gaining insight into the requirements for long-term storage and the potential risks to data dissemination?
On action
What happened?
- How would you summarise the steps you took to back up and archive the raw data and final reports for this case?
- Which specific actions or technical checks felt important to ensure the integrity of the recorded data?
- How did you feel about your adherence to the patient pathway protocols during the archival process?
How has this experience contributed to your developing practice?
- What learning can you take from this experience regarding the long-term management of neurophysiological records?
- What strengths did you demonstrate in ensuring that the archived data is de-identified and stored according to data security legislation?
- Has your technical practice in managing the archival of reports improved since your previous engagement with this activity?
- Did you experience any challenges, such as software compatibility or network issues, and how did you react to ensure the backup was successful?
- Did you need to seek clarification on local protocols for archiving and disseminating reports?
What will you take from the experience moving forward?
- What ‘next steps’ will you take to ensure that your data management habits consistently support the audit and review of IONM cases?
- Has anything changed in terms of what you would do if you were faced with a system failure or data corruption scenario in the future?
- Do you need to practice any aspect of the archival process further, such as contributing to the case database or verifying data integrity post-transfer?
Beyond action
Have you revisited the experiences?
- Have you reviewed the actions identified in your previous reflections regarding the archival and backup of IONM raw data and reports?
- Have you completed previously identified actions to improve your technical workflow, and how has this impacted the integrity of the patient records you manage?
- Have you shared stories with colleagues about technical failures or data management hurdles, and how has this mutual exchange influenced your understanding of data security legislation?
How have these experiences impacted upon your current practice?
- How has your proficiency in data management supported your understanding of the entire patient pathway, from the initial referral to the final archival of the report?
- Can you identify how your practice in data archiving has evolved to become more systematic, and how does this support the audit of IONM corrective spinal surgery cases?
- What transferable skills in information management or technical verification have you developed, and how will these skills assist you when evaluating or adopting new IONM software or platforms in the future?
- How has your understanding of the specialty’s impact on patient care deepened now that you can trace the flow of diagnostic data through the clinical service?
Relevant learning outcomes
| # | Outcome |
|---|---|
| # 3 |
Outcome
Describe patient pathways for those undergoing intraoperative neuromonitoring during spinal surgery. |