The ‘Single Source of Truth’ Principle
The Single Source of Truth (SSOT) principle refers to the concept that a single, authoritative source of data or information is used to ensure consistency across an organisation, system, or process. In this approach, data is stored and maintained in one place, and all users, processes, or systems reference that single, central repository to access the most up-to-date and accurate information. The SSOT principle is all about responsibilities and data integrity.
By maintaining a single source of truth, organisations reduce the risk of discrepancies, errors, or inconsistencies that can arise when multiple versions of data are stored and used across different departments or systems. SSOT is commonly applied in areas like data management, software development, and project management to streamline decision-making, improve transparency, and foster better communication.
In reality, an organisation will have multiple sources of truth, each responsible for a specific piece of the whole ‘organisational truth’. Each document or application (in the case of Movementor) will control an aspect of the organisation’s overall knowledge base but may refer to other SSOTs that are the basis for the data/information that it is an authority for. SSOTs are an interlinked web representing the knowledge of an organisation. The key is to prevent replication of data, such that multiple versions of the same information are maintained in different places, which can lead to ambiguity and be a potential source of mistakes.
The main thing is to understand the role and responsibilities of each SSOT (document or application) and adhere to that separation of roles and responsibilities.
Movementor as an SSOT
Movementor works best when SSOT practices are applied to its use. That means understanding what Movementor is an SSOT for, what other SSOTs it will be dependent upon and how you should use them.
We strongly suggest that Movementor should be considered an SSOT for the line of reasoning underlying a Handling Plan - but NOT the SSOT for the Handling Plan itself. By the ‘line of reasoning underlying the handling plan’ we mean all of the decisions made and how they were arrived at. This will include data added to the handling plan record and any discussion in the various sections through the comments facility. These comments are a crucial part of the line of reasoning and help demonstrate the team's balanced decision-making. All of this data together demonstrates how the handling plan was devised by the team.
Once the handling plan has been decided on and agreed upon by all parties (governed by organisational protocols), the Handling Plan recorded in the Handling Plan Record can now be exported to a Word document. This will become the Handling Plan SSOT for your organisation. When reviews take place, and if it is decided minor changes will need to take place the minor changes are added to the Handling Plan document - but the discussion about the changes is maintained in Movementor through the review and any comments for the review. This ensures that the Movementor Handling Plan Record for the Handling Plan remains an SSOT for the line of reasoning underlying the Handling Plan, but the Handling Plan document is the SSOT for the Handling Plan. A clear separation of responsibilities.
A Handling Plan’s SSOTs
The Handling Plan record, as we have discussed above, is an SSOT, but that Handling Plan Record has upstream SSOTs (data/information that has been used as a basis for it) and a downstream SSOT (information dependent on it).
Upstream SSOTs.
Patient Records: All of the documents/data/information sources that capture the patient and their presentation.
Equipment specifications: Documents/data/information sources about equipment that is being considered.
Carer reports: Documents from agencies involved in the care of the patient.
Specialist/Standardised Assessments: For example, Tissue Viability, General Practitioner Assessment of Cognition (GPCOG), or Functional Assessment.
Legislation and Regulation: Pertinent legislative and regulatory documentation.
Organisation procedures: Documents outlining the correct procedure for performing certain tasks.
Downstream SSOT
The Handling Plan: A document detailing the handling plan for a handling task.
The Handling Plan is the end point of this data flow and should have a management protocol/procedure in place to maintain it. It should be named appropriately and part of this name should contain a version number so that the versions of a Handling Plan can be tracked and the current version in use can be confirmed (use your organisation’s protocols where appropriate). So if a review of the Handling Plan is undertaken on Movementor in the relevant Handling Plan Record, and the team decides on minor changes to the Handling Plan, the reasoning behind the change is captured in the Handling Plan Record on Movementor. The change is then added to the Handling Plan document and the document’s version is changed to reflect its currency.
Handling Plan SSOT and Work Flow
Downstream SSOTs and Movementor
As you work on the handling plan you will utilise existing SSOTs to help understand the current circumstances for the handling task and as the basis for decisions. The are a number of areas in the handling plan where these SSOTs may be utlised:
The situation statement.
Discussion in comments sections.
Modelling the Handling Plan.
The Handling Plan steps.
Do not copy and paste data from the SSOTs - best practice would be to reference them using formal referencing methods ensuring the data source and specific data/information used is detailed. This practice helps maintain data integrity and transparency.