Introduction to Health Informatics

Module details

Title

Introduction to Health Informatics

Type

Rotation

Module code

S-HI-R1

Credits

10

Phase

1

Requirement

Compulsory

Aim of this module

This module will introduce trainees to the principles, application, impact, stakeholders and wider multidisciplinary team involved in Health Informatics. It will provide them with the basic informatics knowledge needed by all professionals, and demonstrate their importance in order to be able to deliver safe, efficient, high-quality patient-centred healthcare.

Training activities

Assessments

Complete 1 Case-Based Discussion

Complete 1 DOPS or OCE

Direct Observation of Practical Skills Titles

• Extract data from a system.
• Navigate electronic patient records.

Observed Communication Event Titles

• Describe an example of data collection in the clinical environment and how this meets good practice and regulation.

Learning outcomes

Learning outcomes

On successful completion of this module the trainee will be able to:

1. Discuss the legislation regulatory guidance and protocols that relate to security, confidentiality, and appropriate sharing of patient data.
2. Explain the role of informatics and its importance in clinical governance.
3. Justify access to patient records and the types of information required for individuals to support decision-making and to deliver multidisciplinary care.
4. Critically evaluate the limitations of the different clinical coding systems in use, and the importance of high-quality coded clinical data in communication, reporting, analysis and to patient safety.
5. Apply integrative knowledge of the purpose, structures, use and storage of health and care records.
6. Discuss the range of health information systems and technologies that support clinical practice and ways of working in healthcare settings.
7. Critically evaluate tools used to gather stakeholder requirements and project management methodologies and how they are used to support system development.

Indicative content

• Information governance
  • Acts of parliament, legislation and codes of practice
  • Information governance roles (e.g., Caldicott Guardians)
  • Principles for data sharing
  • Secure information exchange between professionals, including workflows
  • Information system risks to patient safety
  • Consent models

 Uses of clinical and health data and information

• • Clinical and direct care uses and decision-making
  • Quality, service improvement and design
  • Secondary uses – research
  • Information flows between health and social care organisations and sectors to support cross sector care
  • Public health
• Health information systems for clinicians, patients and the public
  • Paper and electronic patient records
  • Patient focused systems versus speciality, disease or procedure focused systems
  • Structured records and free-text records
  • Telemedicine/health, clinical and decision support systems
  • Patient portals
• Interoperability: Clinical coding, terminologies and data transfer standards
  • Terminologies vs classifications
  • The nature, clinical applications and limitations of different coding systems (e.g., ICD, OPCS, SNOMED-CT)
  • Coding quality issues and risks
  • Coding information to support business workflows and administration (e.g., QOF), commissioning (e.g., COF), and research purposes
• Managing projects and system development
  • Project management methodologies and their uses (e.g., Agile and waterfall)
  • Tools to understand and gain insight into causes of a problem (e.g., root cause analysis, and cause and effect diagram)
  • Stakeholder involvement and requirements gathering
  • Mapping the process (e.g., process mapping stakeholder stories)