A new and free elearning resource for radiographers and other relevant staff in the NHS was launched this week (Tuesday 8 June 2010) at the UK Radiological Congress in Birmingham.

Image Interpretation has been developed by the College of Radiographers in partnership with elfh. It has been designed to help all those involved in radiography with interpreting plain x-ray images of the adult appendicular and axial skeleton and provide reports.

This innovative resource offers 50 interactive elearning sessions which have been written and reviewed by senior clinicians and university lecturers. Aspects such as anatomy, clinical presentations, fractures, dislocations and pathology are comprehensively covered for each skeletal part.

The interactive sessions feature animation to show how mechanisms of injuries occur and photographs to demonstrate radiographic techniques. X-ray images are included in all sections and self-evaluation exercises are provided to encourage reflection and assess the knowledge gained.

Dorothy Keane, Clinical Project Lead for Image Interpretation, said, ‘We are proud and delighted to launch Image Interpretation. Intuitive and engaging, it is a comprehensive online knowledge base that supports the education and professional development of those working in radiography. The elearning is easy to use and designed to work in harmony with busy working lives. We are confident that Image Interpretation will help to improve radiographic skills and, consequently, help to deliver an enhanced patient service.‘

For further details on Image Interpretation and how to access the elearning, please visit https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/image-interpretation

A new and free elearning resource to support doctors and other healthcare professionals to develop clinical leadership skills was launched on Thursday 3 June 2010.

LeAD, elearning for medical leadership, has been developed by the Academy of Medical Royal Colleges, the NHS Institute for Innovation and Improvement and elfh. This new online resource addresses the knowledge components of the Medical Leadership Curriculum (MLC) based on the Medical Leadership Competency Framework (Enhancing Engagement in Medical Lead¬ership Project).

Around 50 people attended the LeAD launch at the Royal College of Anaesthetists on Thursday 3 June including Professor Sir Bruce Keogh, NHS Medical Director who commended the project and its aims.

LeAD is structured in six modules each consisting of a number of elearning sessions. Topics, scenarios and practical applications covering a range of specialties are offered together with examples of service improvement techniques and approaches.

The elearning content in the LeAD sessions focuses on the concepts of shared leadership, this emphasises teamwork and col¬laboration, and the learner acting as an agent for change. The elearning resource includes ideas for tutors, trainers and experienced staff on how to further develop the knowledge and skills of trainees.

The sessions are easy to use and feature interactive exercises, case studies and video for an intuitive and engaging learning experience. Around 50 elearning sessions will be available with each session taking around 20 minutes to complete. Learners can work through any module or session relevant to their specific training needs in any order they choose.

Penny Lewis, Clinical Project Lead, said, ‘Effective leadership is crucial to realising change and improving the delivery of patient care services in the NHS. To help support clinicians, trainers and other healthcare managers with this, we are delighted to be launching LeAD.

‘Underpinned by the core principles of the MLC, LeAD is a comprehensive knowledge base to help all healthcare professionals contribute to the effective running of their organisation and its future direction.

‘Written by clinicians for clinicians, learners can be confident they are using quality material wherever they are, and its flexible structure means it can be used in harmony with busy working lives.

‘Furthermore LeAD can be integrated into local teaching programmes providing a valuable resource for trainers and course organisers, and ultimately supporting lifelong learning.’

For further information and details on how to access the elearning visit the Leadership for Clinicians programme.

The Alcohol Identification and Brief Advice (IBA) elearning project for primary care has been relaunched.

Developed by the DH Alcohol Policy Team in partnership with elfh Alcohol IBA is appropriate for a wide range of healthcare and other professionals. The elearning helps them to identify people whose drinking might be impacting their health, and to deliver simple, structured advice.

Formerly one complete course, the material has now been broken down into six individual sessions, each taking around 20 minutes to complete to fit in with busy working lives.

• Facts About Alcohol
• About Alcohol Identification and Brief Advice
• Tools for Identifying Alcohol Misuse
• Clinical Approach to Brief Advice
• Practising Brief Advice
• Course Assessment

The revised content is fully compliant with the Disability Discrimination Act 2005 and accredited by the Royal College of Nursing. It is also endorsed by the Royal College of Physicians and the Royal College of General Practitioners.

The new look Alcohol IBA course is available to access via the Alcohol Learning Centre’s website (www.alcohollearningcentre.org/eLearning). It will also be available on the National Learning Management System, the elearning platform fully integrated with the Electronic Staff Record, in the coming few months.

Additionally, the elearning will be included in the Foundation elearning Programme (www.foundation.org.uk) and e-GP, elearning for General Practice (https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/general-practitioners). Two new pathways for hospital and pharmacy settings are currently under development and will be released later in 2010.

Iain Armstrong, Clinical Project Lead said: ‘Alcohol IBA elearning was initially launched in February 2009 and has proved to be a popular and valuable education resource. One of the main benefits of elearning is that it can be updated easily so that it is continually fresh and current. After asking learners for their feedback about the course, we have taken the opportunity to revisit the content and structure.

With smaller elearning sessions and enhanced material, Alcohol IBA now offers a more flexible and quality-assured learning resource to help healthcare professionals with tackling alcohol misuse by their patients.’

More information is available at https://www.e-lfh.org.uk/programmes/alcohol or by emailing support@e-lfh.org.uk.