Spotlight on ... The Topol Review

​The Topol Review, formally “Preparing the healthcare workforce to deliver the digital future” was launched by the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care last month (February 11th 2019).
 
In 2017, Dr Eric Topol (a cardiologist, geneticist and digital medicine expert) was invited by Jeremy Hunt, the then Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, to carry out an independent review that would consider the following:
 
• How technological innovation (genomics, digital medicine, AI and robotics) and other developments are likely to change the roles and functions of clinical staff in all professions over the next two decades to deliver more effective and more personal care for patients. 
 
• The implications of these changes for the workforce skills required, identifying those professions or sub-specialisms where the changes may be particularly significant. 
 
• The consequences for the selection, curricula, education, training, development and lifelong learning of current and future NHS staff.
 
The Topol Review is not about the technology, it’s about the impact of the technology on the workforce. This review is integral to Library and Knowledge Services and we will be looking at how we can help to deliver its recommendations.
 
A few highlights for us are:  

• Widening digital participation: (in helping people with health inequalities) In using networks, training and innovative approaches to help people improve their digital health skills. It achieved scale and reach, with people learning to access health information online for the first time, feeling more informed about their health and confident about using online tools to manage their health. There were further identified positive benefits for health professionals, including improvement in their skills and adapting the way that they delivered services. (p. 25) Library service = training on digital resources

 

• Culture of Learning: Key ingredients of the learning culture are: encouraging lifelong learning, openness to collaboration and effective codesign and a greater understanding of human intelligence (p.75) Library service = knowledge management advice and implementation

 

• Educating the workforce: Healthcare knowledge is growing at such a rate that it is challenging to keep up to date. Access to mobile learning and machine learning means that there is a need to define what information students need to know (p.79) Library service = provision of resources to enable evidence based decision making and staff development

 
If you have any questions on the review or you would like to discuss improving knowledge management in your area then please do contact us on: ecn-tr.stafflibrary@nhs.net or extension 1362.