Healthcare Technology Management —
Training activity: 2

Details

Develop a clinical specification for the procurement of a medical device in collaboration with key stakeholders and evaluate supplier responses, including Pre-Acquisition Questionnaires.

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.

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 are the intended outcomes of the training activity?

• How have you reviewed the specific learning outcomes to ensure you are prepared to plan and manage the procurement stage of the healthcare technology management lifecycle?
• How do you plan to demonstrate that your clinical specification reflects organisational and national systems for patient safety, ensuring a high-quality service?
• What essential knowledge regarding essential performance and basic safety standards (e.g., IEC 60601) must you acquire before you begin drafting the specification and evaluating supplier responses?

What do you anticipate you will learn from the experience?

• What specific insights do you hope to gain regarding the interdependence between clinical requirements and technical safety during the procurement process?
• In what ways do you expect this activity to improve your ability to adapt your communication skills to effectively gather information from diverse stakeholders, such as clinicians, procurement leads, and manufacturers?

What actions will you take in preparation for the experience?

• What specific points have you prepared to discuss with your Training Officer to gain a clarity of understanding regarding the procurement legal framework and the use of PAQs?
• What possible challenges—such as conflicting stakeholder priorities or ambiguous supplier data—have you identified, and how do you plan to handle them?
• How have you identified your feelings about embarking on this activity, particularly the responsibility of selecting technology that must be safe for patient use?

In action

What are you doing?

• How are you currently approaching the collaboration with stakeholders, and why have you chosen this particular method to elicit their clinical needs?
• What decisions are you making as you evaluate supplier responses and PAQs to ensure the device meets the identified safety and performance criteria?
• Which aspects of your technical evaluation feel intuitive, and which aspects—such as verifying compliance with complex safety legislation—require more conscious, focused effort?

How are you progressing with the activity?

• How effective are your current communication strategies in providing and gathering the information needed for a robust specification?
• What challenges are you facing as you appraise supplier documentation, and what are you learning about the quality of manufacturer evidence in real-time?
• How does this procurement activity connect to your existing knowledge of medical device risk management and incident reporting?

How are you adapting to the situation?

• Are there alternative ways to frame the clinical requirements that you should consider mid-process to ensure they are accurately understood by all suppliers?
• What immediate support or guidance might you need from a senior engineer or a clinical specialist right now to resolve an ambiguity in a supplier’s technical response?
• How are you ensuring that your evaluation and recommendations remain strictly within your professional scope of practice?

On action

What did you notice?

• How would you summarise the key technical and clinical points of the procurement experience, specifically highlighting how the final specification addresses patient safety?

What did you learn from the activity?

• What specific skills or knowledge did you develop regarding the ability to identify and assess essential performance in healthcare technology?
• In what ways did your reflection-in-action during the stakeholder meetings—such as adapting your communication style—influence the final quality of the specification?
• How does the experience of evaluating supplier responses relate to the requirements for your future post-programme practice as a Clinical Scientist or Engineer?

What will you take from the experience moving forward?

• What areas for continued development in procurement management or technical appraisal have you identified as a result of this activity?
• How can you apply the learning from this procurement project (e.g., more rigorous use of PAQs) to your routine practice in the department?
• What are the specific ‘next steps’ you will now take, such as mastering a new safety-standard checklist, to support the assimilation of what you have learned?

Beyond action

Have you revisited the experiences?

• How have you re-evaluated your initial supplier evaluations in light of subsequent learning or peer feedback?
• Comparing this experience with your Observed Training Activities (OTAs), what specific observable behaviours in professional communication and technical precision have you now fully assimilated?
• In what ways has discussing with peers regarding your procurement challenges changed your view on how to navigate the healthcare technology lifecycle?

How have these experiences impacted upon your current practice?

• How has this procurement activity supported your development in wider professional areas, such as writing interpretative technical reports or providing safety advice to management?
• How have you developed your skills since the original experience, particularly in assessing the basic safety of healthcare technology?
• In what ways has the cumulative learning from this activity supported your preparation for in-person assessments, such as Case-based Discussions (CBD)?

How might these experiences contribute towards your future practice?

• What transferable skills in strategic planning and system exploration have you developed that will help you lead future technology procurements?
• What clear actions for continued professional development have you identified to ensure your expertise in the technology management lifecycle remains current and safe?

Relevant learning outcomes

#	Outcome
# 1	Outcome Plan and manage the stages of the healthcare technology management lifecycle.
# 2	Outcome Apply and adapt communication skills to effectively provide and gather information to and from stakeholders.
# 6	Outcome Practice in accordance with organisational and national systems for patient safety and incident reporting.
# 8	Outcome Identify and assess the essential performance and basic safety of healthcare technology.