Using mobile technology to develop research skills – the RAHP app.

Heidi Probst, Rob Appleyard

Get the app

National Drivers that Frame the Problem

The Department of Health

QIPP (Quality Innovation,

Productivity and

Prevention)3 agenda

requires practitioners to

consider efficient and

productive ways of

providing safe care for

patients.

This agenda needs innovative,

intrapreneurial practitioners across a

range of professions to drive change.

National Drivers that Frame the Problem

Radiotherapy: Developing a world class service

Health Education EnglandDomain 3

…evidence that links education and training

to improvement and innovation in patient

care

Liberating the NHS: Developing the

healthcare Workforce“hardwiring innovation into the curricula of

courses”

Allied Health Professionals

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.

Therapy radiographers

Diagnostic

radiographersOccupational

Therapists

Physiotherapists

1-The Problem

•Poor engagement during the proposal development

period.

•Students often take a long time to develop a

proposal that is sufficiently developed (good enough

quality) to submit to governance and ethics

committees.

•Less able students may need more structure to help

them formulate a good proposal.

•Some negative feedback from dissertation students

is sometimes about lack of perceived support.

2-The Problem

• A lack of creativity in

dissertation topics from

students

• Poorly defined topics that

lack the potential for impact

on service or patient care.

• May not link sufficiently with

employer research priorities.

• Stakeholders (NHS

department managers) feel

disconnected from

dissertation projects

© Sheffield Hallam University

• There appears to be a disconnect between practitioners day to day service delivery problems and University supported learning.

• Access to online e-learning courses from within the hospital environment is problematic- tools such as Blackboard and Pebblepad access is restricted because of tight hospital firewalls making University supported learning in the workplace difficult.

To increase innovative

thinking in our students and

to support the project

development phase maybe we

need to be more innovative

Developing Research Skills through an Intrapreneurial Lens

“individuals who take responsibility

for developing new innovations,

thinking outside the box and showing

creativity who operate within an

existing organization”.

Dayhoff and Moore (2003)

The Path to Intrapreneurship

©Sheffield Hallam University

IntrapreneurialLearningMethods Application

Learningbydoing · Task-basedlearning.· Tasksreflectiveoftheactivitiesundertakenby

clinicalresearchers.

Learningfromnetworking · Participantsrequiredtouseexistingnetworkswithintheirlocalemployingorganisationtogainunderstandingandperspectivesontheirproposedresearch.

Learningfrommentors/rolemodels · ShortaudiofilesfromintrapreneursusedtohighlightstrategiesforovercomingbarriersandchallengestoinnovationwithintheNHS.

· Feedbackfromsupervisorsontheirresearchjournalentriesprovidingexpertisefrompersonalresearchexperiences

Learningfrommistakes · Encouragereflectionthroughouttheproposaldevelopmentphaseondifficultiesexperiencedornegativefeedbackfrompeers.

Learningthroughchallengingtasks · Tasksdesignedtotakepractitionersoutoftheircomfortzonebutwithanopportunityforsupportthroughpeerandmoderateddiscussions.

Translation of the Intraprenurial Pedagogy into a

Task Based Smartphone App- The RAHP App

Task

1 Tri-partite agreement

2 Elevator Pitch- The research idea

3 Preparing for Publication

4 The Literature in the Field

5 Method/Study Design

6 Gaining Stakeholder Input

7 The Research Journal

8 The Full Proposal

9 Feedback results to the department- Presentation

Key Benefits of the Smartphone App

• Allows the individual to gain stakeholder perspectives on the

research idea from ‘within the moment’ reflections at research

forums or one to one meetings with members of the wider

multi-disciplinary team.

• The learner becomes the conductor of their own learning (as

opposed to the tutor) bringing in relevant stakeholders when

required.

• Early evaluations from the pilot indicate improved

participant’s skills/knowledge in the research process,

appraising research evidence, and designing a research

project.

Key Benefits continued

• Students gain from the direct one to one feedback obtained

through the app from their supervisor

• Students can easily see and monitor their progress as

tasks are completed

• Helps to monitor and track trainee progress in an

interactive way

• Can access the web version as well as the app so not

exclusive to smartphone/tablet owners

• Students can access and work on the app offline getting

stakeholder input on the job without the need for wi-fi,

avoiding the difficulties associated with hospital fire walls

I know what you’re thinking-

It’s ok for people who are comfortable with

techy stuff- what about the rest of us?

Testing and Evaluation

3 Experienced AHPs used the app prior to the programmegoing live

“I like the style of this programme. The resources are well

thought out and varied” (evaluator 1)

, “...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.” (evaluator 2),

Evaluation

“Love the idea and wish there was something

like this available when I started in research”

(evaluator 3)

Time to have a go

1. First open up Task 8 The Research Proposal

1. Then try Task 9 Feedback to the Department

Open up the app on your smart device

References

1. Allied health Professions Federation. (2012. The Role of AHPs.

http://www.ahpf.org.uk/RFAHP.htm

2. Amo, B. & Kolvereid, L. 2005. ORGANIZATIONAL STRATEGY, INDIVIDUAL

PERSONALITY AND INNOVATION BEHAVIOR. Journal of Enterprising Culture,

13, (1) 7-19

3. Department of Health. Department of Health QIPP agenda- Innovation. 2011.

Ref Type: Online Source http://www.dh.gov.uk/health/category/policy-

areas/nhs/quality/qipp/

4. Department of Health 2012, Liberating the NHS: Developing the Healthcare

Workforce (from design to delivery).

http://www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsPolicy

AndGuidance/DH_132076

5. Probst H, Eddy D, Eddy A, Cummings J 2 INSPIRE: Increasing Intrapreneurial

Skills through Pedagogy, increases Innovation, Retention and Employability.

2012, Report http://www.shu.ac.uk/research/hsc/reports

6. Salmon, G. 2004. E-moderating: The key to teaching and learning online,

second edition ed. Routledge Falmer.