Preparing the next generation of clinicians to manage information

Curriculum development in informatics must be underpinned by knowledge of the information environment new recruits encounter after qualification. A pilot study was carried out to identify the type of information handling tasks newly qualified healthcare professionals are expected to undertake. This data was related to the skills junior staff possess at the point of entry to hospital posts. Data was collected on the opportunities these recently qualified individuals had to acquire IT skills and generic competence in information handling in their prequalification courses. Self-report data was supplemented by direct observation of junior staff on the wards. In addition to investigating the perspective of the junior staff, the study also explored the attitudes and expectations of senior clinicians, educationalists and NHS trust staff. The purpose of the study was to provide guidance to those involved in developing informatics curricula for clinical students at the prequalification stage. This paper reports some of our preliminary findings.