Harnessing Clinical Informatics for Enhanced Healthcare Delivery

Petro Bekker, Clinical Informatics Manager/Clinical Safety Officer, Clinical Informatics, IM&T, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust With over 35 years of experience as a Registered Nurse, Petro worked in diverse healthcare settings in South Africa and England. Having emigrated to the UK from South Africa in 1999, working as an Advanced Nurse Practioner in Emergency care she transitioned to a specialised role in Surgical and Critical Care Nursing in the UK. Her passion for innovation and technology led to a pivotal role in 2012, when she was seconded from Critical Care to the digital department to lead on the implementation of a new critical care electronic clinical system. Recognising the impact of healthcare informatics, she transitioned to the Digital Team permanently in 2014, becoming the first Clinical Informatics Nurse at Wigan, Wrightington and Leigh Teaching Hospital NHS Trust. Over the years, she has continued to evolve in this field and currently work as the Clinical Informatics Manager using her extensive clinical experience to drive meaningful advancements in healthcare technology. In addition to her managerial role in clinical informatics, she is also a Clinical Safety Officer, where her team is dedicated to ensuring the highest standards of patient safety within the digital healthcare landscape.

David Maloney, Senior Clinical Informatics Nurse & Digital Clinical Safety Officer, Wrightington, Wigan and Leigh Teaching Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust David has 25 years of experience as a registered nurse, qualifying in Scotland. His passion for education and research has taken him abroad to Africa in 2007 for 3yrs, where he was teaching nursing and contributing to impactful initiatives, working with a multidisciplinary team from across the globe. He has been working in England since 2010, with a diverse background in Research, Surgical and Critical Care Nursing. David’s journey in 2015 has led him to the specialty of clinical informatics, at Wigan, Wrightington and Leigh Teaching Hospital NHS Trust where he works as a specialist nurse, using his diverse clinical experience to drive advancements in healthcare technology and informatics. His commitment to patient safety is reflected in his role as a clinical safety officer, where as part of a wider team he helps to ensure the highest standards of digital safety and quality in healthcare delivery.

Clinical informatics plays a pivotal role in modern healthcare, driving advancements in patient care, data management, and decision-making processes. This session will delve into the multifaceted landscape of clinical informatics, exploring its impact on healthcare delivery and patient outcomes. The speakers will discuss the latest innovations, best practices, and real-world applications of clinical informatics. From electronic health records and interoperability to data analytics and artificial intelligence, this session will provide a comprehensive overview of the transformative potential of informatics in the clinical setting.

Join Petro and David as they discuss how to navigate the dynamic intersection of technology and healthcare and discover how clinical informatics is shaping the future of medicine.

This will be followed by a Community of Practice session (the next day) where those interested can join Petro and David in talking more about this unique and very valuable workstream within Critical Care and across the NHS / Organisation. 

ICU Escape

“In the ICU's depths, where lives hang by threads,
a realm of knowledge, where hope and fear treads.
But within these walls, a new venture takes flight,
a beacon of learning, a place of respite.

ICU Escape, where minds dare to roam,
in medical mysteries, they find their home.
With puzzles and riddles, they unravel the plight,
of patients in need, where wrongs turn to right.

Each room a scenario, a challenge to meet,
with teamwork and skill, they conquer defeat.
From diagnosing ailments to treating with care,
in ICU Escape, heroes are made aware.

So gather your courage, and step through the door,
where learning and fun collide, like never before.
For in the world of medicine, where knowledge is key,
ICU Escape unlocks the healer in thee.”

ICU Escape Ltd is a new company providing medical themed escape rooms. Lauren Simmons and Claire Tait are the Co-Creators of ICU Escape which was established in August 2023. 

ICU Escape Ltd’s educational escape rooms are a spin on sim and can be used for training or away days and to increase confidence in sim participation. Working in Critical Care involves problem solving and critical thinking; understanding your patient’s pathophysiology and looking for clues in observations to guide treatment. ICU Escape rooms work in Critical Care because participants must use their problem-solving techniques to work out cryptic clues to escape. They offer a fun, immersive, and memorable educational experience which is good for team building and collaborative working. Furthermore, they are helpful for managers to review team dynamics and identify individual strengths. 

ICU Escape are excited to announce they will be running their deteriorating patient escape room at the BACCN Conference 2024 in Aberdeen. Question is can you escape? You will have 20 minutes to escape! The quickest team to escape over the 2 days will win a prize!