Dr Vathsan Ravindran is a gastroenterology trainee (ST6), currently taking time out for research. He started his role with us as JAG clinical fellow in September 2019 and is also a PhD student at Imperial College London - supervised by Prof Siwan Thomas-Gibson and Prof Ara Darzi. He has a background in medical education and simulation, with a particular interest in human factors and teamworking in endoscopy. 

What does Dr Vathsan aim to achieve in his role as JAG clinical fellow?

• To improve our understanding of safety within in endoscopy
• To develop new strategies and tools to support team training in endoscopy
• To support JAG accreditation and training initiatives through data-led projects

What are some of the work he has achieved so far?

•  National census of endoscopy services 2019 (including safety census)
• Development of teamworking human factors toolkit for endoscopy during COVID
• Development and support for JAG’s Case of the Month (COTM) series
• Development and roll-out of e-learning ‘Endoscopic Non-Technical Skills’ module 
• Analysis of Bowel Cancer Screening (BCS) workforce survey 2020
• Analysis of accreditation data and reasons for service deferral across sectors

Are there any ongoing projects he is working on?

•  TEAM-ENTS (Teamwork in Endoscopy Assessment Module for Endoscopic Non-Technical Skills) – development and validation of a non-technical skills framework for endoscopy teams
• Endo-SAQ (Endoscopy Safety Attitudes Questionnaire) – development and validation of a novel tool to measure safety attitudes across endoscopy team members
• PRISE (Patient Reported Incidents of Safety in Endoscopy) – a co-designed survey-based tool to better understand safety in endoscopy from the patient perspective

What about other work with JAG?

•  Supporting analysis of data within accreditation (including Global Rating Scale)
• Member of NED committee and supporting validation of trainee data
• Supporting publication of guidance around underperformance in endoscopy
• Collaborating with other stakeholder groups in support of wider endoscopy research