48 The signpost project- using technology to improve awareness of training opportunities and support for doctors in training

Challenging workplaces contribute to low morale & decreased recruitment of doctors into training programmes. Our deanery’s ‘VALUED’ initiatives aim to improve trainee engagement, support & retain doctors in training. Initiatives receive positive feedback, but lack of awareness of opportunities through suboptimal publicity, may contribute to feelings of being undervalued, identified by 62% of obstetric trainees. The Signpost Project, involving educators, administrative, IT staff and trainee representatives, aims to publicise professional development & support opportunities using a digital tool. Focus groups quantified trainees’ baseline awareness of training opportunities, qualified their support & information needs using thematic analysis & considered preferred communication methods. Stakeholders were approached to understand their current roles & secure project involvement. We created a prototype digital communication tool, publicising opportunities within the obstetric specialty, using a mobile website. Content, functionality & global score for increasing awareness of opportunities/support was explored during 3 improvement cycles. Administrative teams and educators were involved in assessing workload burden. We evaluated the tool’s impact on trainee feeling of value at project completion. Scalability to other specialties was evaluated. A specification list included all user requirements. Improvement cycles showed increasing satisfaction with content, function & evidenced improved awareness of opportunities & support. Workload burden review highlighted administrative efficiencies. On project completion, 71% of trainee participants reported they felt valued by the deanery(Baseline 38%) Scalability results showed 100% respondents felt this tool would strengthen communication within their specialty. Technology can enhance trainees’ awareness of opportunities, increase their feeling of value & align with organisational aims to support and retain doctors in training.