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Hamshire C.1, Gough S.1
1Manchester Metropolitan University, Health Professions, Manchester, United Kingdom
Background: The demands for healthcare services are rising steadily and healthcare professional groups are increasingly using digital technologies to support their work with patients, carers and members of the public (HEE 2014). Digital technological innovations now pervade the way that patients and staff perceive, understand and manage health and ill-health (HEE 2014) and new technologies perform an important role in enabling both heath care providers and educationalists to develop practice (DoH 2014). However, there is limited evidence of frameworks to facilitate the design, development and evaluation of digital technology within physiotherapy. Local initiatives are therefore frequently developed in isolation, creating inefficiencies and complications when solutions are scaled-up to a wider population.
Purpose: The purpose of this research was to develop a series of frameworks to support the growth of an eco-system featuring digital technological innovations within both education and practice. The primary focus includes simulation and technology enhanced learning including the use of mobile devices within healthcare education and practice.
Methods: A series of sequential exploratory mixed methods studies were undertaken to provide a comprehensive analysis of current practice and facilitate the development of a series of standardized frameworks to support digital technological innovations in healthcare education and practice.
Results: Two key frameworks were developed: the Integrated Simulation and Technology Enhanced Learning (ISTEL) framework and a mobile device app evaluation and usage framework. The ISTEL framework was developed by synthesising the literature focusing on theoretical perspectives and educational practices that inform the preparation, intervention and research/evaluation of STEL, the methodological design and data analysis (Gough et al, 2016). The ISTEL framework emphasizes the importance of ensuring appropriate theoretical and educational practices and instructional design are integrated within the development, preparation, implementation and evaluation of simulation and technology enhanced learning activities and curriculum design.
The mobile device app evaluation and usage framework was developed over a two year collaborative project in partnership with educators, therapists, children and their parents within Greater Manchester (Hamshire and Lachkovic 2016). This framework offers an infra-structure to set appropriate expectations for therapists and educators, including negotiating technical challenges and developing a basis for good practice for iPad and associated app usage.
Collectively, the findings from these studies emphasize the importance of adopting an integrated approach to the design, development and evaluation of digital technologies; in order to ensure equity of access, cost efficiency and sustainability when solutions are increased in scale.
Conclusion(s): Robust design, preparation and evaluation are essential to ensure appropriate adoption of digital technologies in healthcare education and practice. The use of the ISTEL and mobile app frameworks may be used within the evaluation of the economic impact of digital technologies in physiotherapy and other healthcare disciplines.
Implications: Whilst acknowledging that there will be international variations in the use and uptake of digital technologies, the findings of this research provide valuable insights for education and practice in healthcare globally.
Funding acknowledgements: This work was part funded by both Health Education England and Manchester Metropolitan University.
Topic: Education
Ethics approval: Ethical approval was granted by the Faculty of Health, Psychology and Social Care Ethics Committee, Manchester Metropolitan University.
All authors, affiliations and abstracts have been published as submitted.
