Online training for telecare workers launched

A new web-based learning resource has been set up by software developers Tunstall to educate healthcare professionals on what to bear in mind when prescribing and monitoring the use of telecare.

The Telecare Training Tool (TTT) uses interactive real-life scenarios to trigger the viewers’ senses and guides the user through various telecare assessments to ensure that staff are trained to deal with any situation that may arise.

Alison Williams, telecare strategy manager at Tunstall said: “One of the key issues with telecare is the need to get people trained up. A lot of people need to be trained and this often happens at the same time when ensuring a user is prepared cannot be guaranteed on a one-to-one basis.

“The TTT will free up time and make it easy for a person to train themselves in working with telecare. It will be like taking driving lessons, you work at your own pace until you are confident enough to take the final assessment.”

There are currently 20 case scenarios loaded on the TTT which test the users ability to tackle problems associated with telecare.

“Users must identify the risks associated with the scenario and which telecare products will address these risks. This is followed by scored multiple choice tests and a printout with clinical reasoning explained on the document so the user understands the outcome to the particular scenario,” explained Williams.

The system uses three levels of difficulty – basic, intermediate and advanced to suit their needs and knowledge levels and is designed to help to build experience and confidence in identifying patients’ needs and devising appropriate telecare prescriptions.

TTT was designed with professional assistance form occupational therapist Francesca Dawson and Dr Kevin Doughty, deputy director of the Centre for Usable Home Technology at the University of York amongst others.

Dr Doughty said: “As telecare becomes a mainstream care option, telecare skills are in increasing demand and a skills gap is emerging among care providers. As a result, there’s a growing need for assessors to obtain the necessary training and technical expertise, so they can learn to assess patients’ telecare needs and prescribe the appropriate solution.”

“Tunstall is ideally placed to address this issue with this innovative learning resource,” he added.

Tunstall is now liaising with the College of Occupational Therapists and are looking to link it to the course offered by the college in professional development (related to telecare).

Williams said that she believed that TTT could be very useful when the DH telecare pilots, announced today, begin at the three sites.

“TTT could help assist with training the staff who are looking to visit one million people during this pilot. It enables people to go through simulation of role play and provides a virtual method of gaining knowledge, experience and confidence to carers working with patients using telecare.”

Tunstall’s marketing director Ali Rogan added: “Telecare providers are under considerable pressure to equip care staff with telecare skills, and knowledge of how the technology overcomes physical, sensory and cognitive difficulties. The TTT turns theory into practice, so assessors can learn and develop the skills they need to integrate telecare into their services.”

The TTT is available free of charge for partnering organisations of Tunstall and can be used by any professional with responsibility for assessing or referring patients for telecare services. Further information on TTT can be found at www.tunstall.co.uk/telecaretrainingtool