Medical app makes THE shortlist
The University’s Institute of Medical Education has been shortlisted for the Times Higher Education Outstanding ICT Initiative of the Year award.
RRAPID is available as an eBook or App
A team of clinical and technical contributors used feedback from a healthcare report to create an eBook and App for teaching first year medics the acute medicine module.
The Recognising and Responding to Acute Patient Illness & Deterioration (RRAPID) programme uses simulation-based teaching methods to introduce the students to the different types of acute illnesses and gives tips on how to spot and treat them.
The ‘ABCDE’ approach takes the students through how to view signs of acute illness by checking airway, breathing, circulation, disability and exposure. The App also has a checklist of things to look out for, a case log for students to learn the approach and a self-test area.
The RRAPID initiative was co-directed by Dr Andrew Lewington and Dr Bruce Duncan after a 2007 National Institute for Health and Care Excellence report found deficiencies in the recognition and treatment of acutely ill patients. One of the changes NICE recommended was to improve the teaching and education of this topic across all levels.
Leeds Institute of Medical Education’s Gareth Frith says the initiative could really improve a student’s approach to learning.
He says, “Many students have iPhones now, and people use these devices in their downtime.
“Having material that is portable is really useful. You could have a spare 10 minutes and revise a subject, and it’s here at your fingertips and personal.”
The team are now developing a new App off the success of RRAPID, designed to take medics through different levels of clinical skills.
The award is sponsored by Jisc, and has shortlisted the University alongside the University of Aberdeen and Partners, Bournemouth University, De Montfort University, the Open University, and a compiled initiative by Queen Mary University of London, University of Ulster and King’s College London.
The Times Higher Education awards ceremony takes place on Thursday 27 November.
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