Introduction to Health Informatics

At the end of this course, student should be able to: 1. describe the theoretical and practical foundations of health informatics; 2. explain how information and communication technologies are changing healthcare services and provision of health information; 3. discuss the various applications of information and communication technology for healthcare, health promotion and patient self-management; 4. discuss key issues related to the adoption of health information technology systems (digital divide, health literacy, policy issues, privacy and security); and 5. explore emerging trends in health informatics.

Basic concepts, knowledge and skills of Health Informatics. Way data, information and knowledge are created, managed and processed using Information and Communication Technology. Introduction to Health Informatics as a Discipline, Basics of Electronics Health Records, Computerised Physician Order Entry, Medical databases, Imaging, Tele-health, Consumer Health Informatics, Ethics in Health Informatics, social and organisational factors involved in implementation of electronic health systems, and Integration standards such as HL7. Historical perspectives of computing in health. 200 Level