NHS Wales Informatics Service have embarked on the creation of a new suite of e-Learning products designed to improve the recording of clinical information.
Health boards in Wales record a range of information about the types of diseases, injuries, and other conditions people who come into hospital are diagnosed with, as well as the procedures and interventions that are performed to treat them. Each organisation has a dedicated department of clinical coders who are responsible for translating this information into internationally recognised classifications so that NHS Wales can report on the activity that takes place.
NHS Wales Informatics Service has begun a programme of online e-Learning modules for these staff, the first of its kind in the UK. Covering the clinical information around a topic, combined with the statistical impact of the information, and the rules governing appropriate recording standards, these modules are designed to ensure that the information is comparable regardless of where and when it was recorded. The first module, on the diagnosis and treatment of Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease, has now gone live for all Welsh Health Boards.
"The job of coding is a complex and technical one," explains David Dawes, the National Training Programme Lead for Clinical Classifications. "By producing standardised training with a high quality clinical and statistical basis, we can make sure that the information we record is of the best quality possible. And by doing it online, we can make sure it's available to more users as and when it's needed, unlike our current classroom based courses."
In addition to the initial module, work is ongoing on a range of further specialities, including bladder conditions and the diagnosis and treatment of fractures.