Competency analysis and educational strategies to meet the demand for a learning health system workforce

Abstract

Learning Health Systems (LHS) require a workforce with specific knowledge and skills to identify and address healthcare quality issues, develop solutions to address those issues, and sustain and spread improvements within and outside the organization. Educational programs are tasked with designing learning opportunities that can meet these organizational needs. This manuscript explores different mechanisms for addressing challenges to creating educational programs to prepare individuals who can work in and lead LHS. Strategies and recommendations for educational programs to support the LHS include the creation of a new program, collaborating across existing programs, and producing a set of instructional materials.

Evaluation of an experiential training program in patient-centered outcomes and comparative effectiveness research for diverse researcher communities and health care organizations

“…More generally, we recognized that addressing complex changes in health care delivery requires building sustainable infrastructures for community-academic partnerships and including patients and stakeholders in the organization and community 26 . Consistent with the emerging focus on training in learning health systems 17,19 , we enriched our Summer Institute curriculum with sessions on program evaluation and quality improvement, which augmented our scholars' skills and the value of the program to partner organizations. PCOR and CER training also should include sessions on social determinants of health and health care and vulnerable populations, which could engage diverse communities and researchers 27 Several key lessons for future PCOR and CER training efforts emerged from our experience and appear consistent with the move to a learning health systems paradigm 16,28 .…”

“…These online training components foreshadowed the hybrid learning style that has become common since the beginning of the pandemic [15]. In addition, most of these components are now part of the movement to create competencies in learning health care systems [16][17][18][19].…”

Health systems science

“…Leaders who integrate and value the principles of HSS create systems that produce improved patient outcomes and improved clinician and patient satisfaction 21,22. Examples of how HSS may be integrated into the clinical environment include creating a standardized electronic health record workflow to improve medication reconciliation, developing a team-based sepsis code team to reduce patient morbidity and mortality, conducting social needs screening to assess community-based referrals, and implementing team-based care models to optimize mental health outcomes for at-risk populations 23-26.…”

“…Leaders who integrate and value the principles of HSS create systems that produce improved patient outcomes and improved clinician and patient satisfaction. 21,22 Examples of how HSS may be integrated into the clinical environment include creating a standardized electronic health record workflow to improve medication reconciliation, developing a team-based sepsis code team to reduce patient morbidity and mortality, conducting social needs screening to assess community-based referrals, and implementing team-based T he United States spends more on healthcare and has some of the worst healthcare outcomes, access, equity, and cost compared with peer industrialized nations. 1 COVID-19 exacerbated an already fragmented and strained system, with worsening chronic medical and behavioral health disease, a surge in the opioid epidemic, and racial and ethnic health inequities.…”

Learn to fly: Training and competencies to support the multidisciplinary workforce needs of learning health systems

“…Three articles in this Special Issue of the Journal examine competency development and extension in support of LHS training. In “Competency Analysis and Educational Strategies to Meet the Demand for a Learning Health System Workforce,” Feldman et al 6 offer direction for the development of LHS programs, including approaches to identify and address challenges during program development, and strategies to guide both new program development and collaboration across existing programs. Such direction is critical for continued field‐building efforts, insofar as newer training programs will not need to start from a blank slate.…”