Innovation
The company MyKnowledgeMap have developed and tested a mobile app to document and record clinical assessments for health practitioners. We have utilised this existing tool to deliver a work-based learning research skills development package; taking students from a research idea to a full written proposal via 6 interactive tasks.
Using an intrapreneurial pedagogy as a lens through which to develop research skills we aim to enhance Allied Health Practitioners innovative behaviour through greater involvement in primary research.
What prompted innovation?
There are over 130,000 Allied Health Practitioners (AHPs) working across a range of sectors in the UK; contributing critical expertise in a number of care pathways (1). Providing safe care to patients requires specialist knowledge and training currently provided through under-graduate degree training. To enhance AHPs capabilities within the workplace various masters programmes exist to contribute to continuing professional development and to augment career progression. However, research from AHPs is known to lag behind nursing, medicine and clinical scientists resulting in a substantially lower evidence base to services and care compared with other professions.
Research is inextricably linked to innovation and service development. The development and testing of novel treatments or interventions from AHPs will be restricted while a gap exists in AHP research activity. Commentators have recommended the need for investment in research training of AHPs not just at doctoral level but at all levels (2). Furthermore, a gap analysis of research radiographers working in Radiotherapy (n=70) (3) identified 60% of research radiographers lacked skills in statistical analysis, and report writing, 45% lacked skills in research methodology, searching for evidence, and critical evaluation with over 90% reporting a lack of skill in grant writing. Discussion with research radiographers through national forums suggests this situation has not changed over the five years since this survey. This demonstrates that even practitioners working within the research environment (in research roles) may lack the relevant skills to lead research activity and hence innovation in service delivery. Many busy health professionals do not have time, funding, or the desire to access and complete formal University credited research programmes. Feedback from national research workshops for radiographers held by the project lead indicates a desire from practitioners to improve their research skills; but this needs to be delivered in a flexible way that suits practitioners working patterns and personal commitments.
Hence we identified that a work based flexible learning approach might be a suitable method to meet current AHP needs. Remote delivery through traditional e-learning methods can be problematic because of NHS firewalls which limit access to e-learning platforms within the workplace. Mobile technology offers an opportunity to reach practitioners in the work place as the app can be accessed offline (and synchronised later) allowing clinical situations to be documented with input from supervisors, mentors or user representatives in a timely manner irrespective of NHS firewalls.
What makes innovation different?
Using smartphone technology is allowing AHPs to undertake tasks to refine their research ideas with input from supervisors and mentors (as well as other stakeholders including users) during discussions and formal meetings allowing for ‘in the moment’ responses and feedback with instant documentation. It also engages learners and encourages research participation and overcomes existing problems with internet access in the hospital environment. Using the intraprenurial pedagogy as a framework for the 6 tasks is a novel way of harnessing key skills needed to get a research idea from concept to application.
Changes in practice
Using smartphone technology has forced a re-think in how we deliver and support learners wanting to undertake research, or those on existing MSc courses undertaking dissertations. We are planning to pilot using the smartphone app to support existing MSc students through their dissertation proposal development. If successful we plan to roll this out for PhD students to provide structure and wider input to the study design beyond the confines of the PhD supervisors, harnessing views of the multi-disciplinary team.
Impact
The project is still in the pilot phase and we have not yet harvested student feedback. The mobile app format was evaluated by 3 AHPs prior to the pilot and feedback was encouraging. The 3 evaluators were as follows:
- An occupational therapist who is coming to the end of her MSc
- A research therapy radiographer who is leading and developing research capacity locally within her Host Institution
- A diagnostic imaging radiographer who is a research training fellow of the National Institute of Health Research and who is a committee member of the Research Forum for Allied Health Practitioners
Some feedback includes:
“I like the style of this programme. The resources are well thought out and varied” (evaluator 1)
“I like the fact that when you view your completed tasks you can comment or add extra files and share your work with a tutor…this is really useful as you can expand on every task as you see fit. I like the blog/reflective journal too as this can be used as an integral part of the research process and as you progress through the project can be used in your research process particularly in more qualitative designs where the researchers perspective needs to be explored. It’s an easy way of recording and keeping track of this.” (evaluator 2)
“Love the idea and wish there was something like this available when I started in research” (evaluator 3)
Dissemination
We have presented at a local study event within the Institution on the use of mobile technology in learning and we are due to present the results of the pilot programme at the Association for Learning Technology conference in September 2013.