A systematic approach

The Circle of Learning is a tool designed to help us build strategies to optimise educational efficiency and impact with healthcare as the context. It comprises five segments with an integration point in the middle. It should be noted that while it visually may look like a circle, in reality, it functions as an ever-evolving spiral toward lifelong learning and clinical improvement

The steps can both be seen as a description of a process, but also as stand-alone educational approaches to meet specific teaching objectives and learning outcomes. 

The Lancet Commission on Quality in Healthcare (2018) made it clear that for the first time the quality of care is now an even bigger challenge globally than access to care.

Healthcare Quality Improvement (HQI) is a continuous practice to drive positive change within healthcare. It may pertain to human behavior, process improvements, or cultural changes. Another example is that it may also refer to spatial deficiencies, i.e., the long distance from the emergency room to the CT scanner or if it will take the Rapid Response Team a long time to reach any patient room at the hospital.

Knowledge is the basis for providing timely, safe, equitable and high-quality healthcare. Lifelong acquisition of relevant knowledge is a crucial part of becoming and remaining a safe and relevant healthcare provider.

As part of the digitalisation era, the most updated knowledge resources are found in online repositories and learning systems. The more advanced systems offer knowledge in a tailored and adaptive format and pace. Learning process - and outcome data can be stored and used to further adapt to the individual learner’s competence, pace, grit and confidence levels.

The various healthcare professions all rely heavily on tactile or psychomotor skills. From the most advanced neurosurgical procedures to compassionately holding the hand or caressing the forehead of a terminal patient, the tactility of the profession is an integral part of defining it.

The mastery of skills is essential to providing the best treatment, whether working alone or in a team. After acquiring a defined psychomotor skill, practice is necessary to refine and maintain it.

Decision-making is essential for empowering learners to use newly acquired knowledge and skills in relevant situations.

Decision-making can be trained in computer simulated patient cases. These may be screen-based, or even served to learners as virtual or augmented reality solutions. Such rich learning environments can also foster critical thinking skills in learners.

Practicing simulation in teams allows participants to rehearse simulated patient cases, often in their actual working environments, with the aim of improving healthcare outcomes. This type of training also allows participants to improve teamwork, communication, and leadership skills. A unique feature of simulation is the reflective practice of debriefing.

It is now possible to collect and analyze data on behavior and performance in every step through the Circle of Learning. These insights can be used to provide feedback to individual participants, teams, educators, and training administrators. By adding suggestions for how to improve on performance, raw data are turned into actionable insights.