eGovernment for Development

Training

Training Workshop Overview

i. Title

"Using ICTs to Improve Healthcare Delivery and Management"

ii. Aim

The aim of the training workshop is to help practitioners understand and reduce risks in applying ICTs to improve the delivery and management of public healthcare.

iii. Objectives

By the end of the workshop, participants will be able to:

• analyse the benefits and costs found in e-health projects;
• explain why some e-health projects succeed while others fail;
• assess the risk of failure in an e-health project, and identify the main sources of that risk;
• produce an action plan that addresses sources of risk in an e-health project, thereby reducing the likelihood of project failure; and
• produce a plan of key learning and action points related to e-health success and failure.

iv. Timetable/Structure

Timings are given for each part of the workshop. However, these are very 'rough and ready' estimates, and will vary considerably depending on group size, motivation, capabilities, etc.

Following the full structure given below - Introduction, Understanding eHealth Projects, Understanding eHealth Project Success and Failure, Practical Techniques for eHealth Projects, Action Plans - is very roughly estimated to take around 400 minutes. Allowing for breaks, that translates to something like a one- or one-and-a-half-day workshop overall.

If a longer training period (or greater depth of training) is required, some of the 'Other Possible Activities' in the training guide can be included.

v. Shorter Timetables (Two-Hour to One-Day Workshops)

If one/one-and-a-half days are unavailable or some training objectives are not relevant, some parts of the workshop will need to be removed. What is removed, and what is left, will depend on the specific training objectives:

• To develop a basic understanding of e-health project pros and cons, focus on Part 2.
• To develop an understanding of the causes of success and failure in e-health projects, focus on Part 3.
• To meet the skills needs of those involved in planned or in-progress e-health projects, focus on Part 4.

Some examples of content for shorter timescales (but note there are many other possible content combinations) are:

• One-day workshop on e-health project success and failure: Parts 1, 3, 4a, 4b, 5.
• Two-hour workshop on awareness-raising about e-health projects: Parts 1, 2a, 2b, 5.
• Two-hour workshop on e-health project evaluation: Parts 1, 3, 5.
• Three-hour workshop on e-health project risk assessment: Parts 1, 4a, 5.
• Two-hour workshop on e-health project risk mitigation: Parts 1, 4b, 5.

Workshop timescales can also be shortened by taking a problem-based approach: see next.

vi. Alternative Approach: Problem-Based Learning

An alternative approach to the whole workshop would be to divide the trainees into small groups, and set the groups a problem to solve or a task to undertake. They use the material on the Web site to help them, with the facilitation of the trainer, but their starting point is the problem, not reading the Web material.

For example, they could be presented with a real-world case of an e-health project that has just failed. The group task is to ascertain why the project failed, using the tools made available at the Web site to help if necessary. The trainer could provide a text-based case for this, but this approach works particularly well where all members of the group are themselves directly familiar with a real-world case through their work experience.

Other problems/tasks that could be used:

• Ask trainees to ascertain why a successful e-health project succeeded.
• Ask trainees to present a risk assessment and related risk mitigation action plan for a forthcoming e-health project.
• Ask trainees to draw up an action plan for an in-progress project that has been identified as "at risk".

vii. Alternative Approach: Interwoven Training and Practice

Another approach that can be taken is to break down the workshop into smaller components presented over time, rather than presenting the workshop as a solid block. For example, it could be presented as four half-day workshops (see content suggestions above): one on awareness-raising about e-health projects; one on project evaluation; one on risk assessment; one on risk mitigation.

Training of this type can be treated as isolated from the workplace (using external case studies), or semi-integrated with the workplace (using cases from the trainees' own experience). It can also be treated as integrated with the workplace. In this case, trainees work on practical activities between each workshop, and report back and reflect on those practical activities at the following workshop. A sample timetable, for five half-day workshops spread over four months, is provided below.

Week	Workshop	Half-Day Content	Task To Complete
1	One	- Introduction/overview of schedule and purpose: Part 1 - Awareness-Raising: reading elements of Parts 2a, 2b	A. Survey main benefits and costs of e-health projects in own department
2-4	Completing Task A
5	Two	- Report back on Task A and discussion elements of Parts 2a, 2b - Project Evaluation: reading element of Part 3	B. Evaluate outcome of a previous e-health project, using the design-reality gap model
6-8	Completing Task B
9	Three	- Report back on Task B and discussion element of Part 3 - Risk Assessment: reading element of Part 4a	C. Assess risk on own current/in-progress e-health project
10-12	Completing Task C
13	Four	- Report back on Task C and discussion element of Part 4a - Risk Mitigation: reading element of Part 4b	D. Identify risk mitigation actions for own current/in-progress e-health project
14-16	Completing Task D
17	Five	- Report back on Task D and discussion element of Part 4b - Part 5, including reflection on process and action steps for future

viii. Resources and Preparation

If trainees have experience of both completed and ongoing e-health projects, then little preparation activity is required. Each trainee requires an Internet-connected PC, and a guide sheet on session objectives and activities, which can be cut and pasted from this document. Flipcharts and a whiteboard will be useful for group and plenary report-back activities. Trainers will need to familiarise themselves with all the material identified for trainee reading.

If trainees lack sufficient case/project experience, or if trainers wish all trainees to focus on the same case study, then the trainer will need to spend some time developing their own appropriate case studies. As noted below, they can use the eHealth Cases page on this Web site to help.

ix. Workshop Content Notation

Activities within the training guide provided below come with one of the following three notations:

• [ TRAINER ] - an activity undertaken by the trainer him/herself.
• [ TRAINEES ] - an activity undertaken by trainees on their own.
• [ GROUP ] - a paired, small group or plenary activity.

Some parts of the suggested workshop have elements listed under the heading 'Other Possible Activities'. These are additional activities that can be undertaken if time allows, and if particular conditions apply (such as a need to reinforce certain knowledge and skills).