Using a dummy database to build data skills 

Katy Williams, a lecturer on the speech and language therapy course at Wrexham University, reflects on her experience using the RCSLT Online Outcome Tool (ROOT) as a simulation tool for SLT education to support students in developing confidence in outcome measurement and data-informed practice. 

At Wrexham University, we have been exploring innovative ways to build students’ confidence in outcome measurement, an essential skill for contemporary clinical practice. With help from the  RCSLT Research and Outcomes Team, we have created our own ROOT account with a “dummy database” with over 300 simulated patients who have been rated using the Therapy Outcome Measure (TOM) (Enderby and John, 2025), giving our students hands–on, data-driven experience.  

What is the ROOT?

The ROOT supports SLTs with collecting and collating TOM data and generating reports. The reports generated by the ROOT can be used by SLTs to inform clinical decision-making and offer the potential to demonstrate the impact of speech and language therapy interventions for individual service users and cohorts of service users. Beyond its use in clinical settings, the ROOT has proven to be a powerful pedagogical tool to help students connect theoretical learning with real-world impact. 

Using the ROOT to prepare students for clinical practice

Second-year students engage in a service evaluation and development workshop day ahead of their clinical placement in semester one. In the workshop they are introduced to how clinical teams evaluate and develop services in speech and language therapy. We work through practical, case-based examples so students can learn how to measure outcomes, record them on ROOT and then use this data for quality monitoring and enhancement purposes. Students have reported that they have found this session particularly useful as the TOM scales and ROOT accounts are exactly those used in clinical practice, so they feel this is excellent placement preparation.  

Clinical simulation session

In a paediatric simulation session, students complete a virtual clinical decision-making activity using videos and case data to guide the assessment process.

The final part of this simulation is to complete a TOM rating for the case and record this on the ROOT, supported by a Practice Education Facilitator from the local health board.

Using data to understand health inequalities 

In Year 3, the visual reports within the ROOT are utilised as part of a Wider Determinants of Health session. Students filter the data based on different determinants, such a deprivation decile, and use the reports to engage in discussions around difference in outcomes. This supports students to see how “big data” can reveal patterns that aren’t always apparent in single case learning and develops student awareness on how outcome data can support service development, quality improvement and advocacy.

Looking ahead

By embedding the ROOT within our teaching, we aim to create SLTs who are not only compassionate and clinically skilled, but also confident in using data to evidence the impact of their work.

A student reported after the session “using ROOT in this way has helped to emphasise even more how important it is to record outcomes, not just on an individual basis but for service delivery too. I’m on a Flying Start placement currently so looking at the wider determinants of health in this way was helpful too”.

Find out more

Visit our page of resources about outcome measurement, including information about the RCSLT Online Outcome Tool (ROOT) and the role of outcome measurement in speech and language therapy. Learn more about outcome measurement.