1.  Bridging the gap between biological and clinical informatics in a graduate training program

Author(s): Johnson SB, Friedman RA

Source: J Biomed Inform 2007 Feb;40(1):59-66.

Summary: 

This paper recounts the experience at Columbia University in adapting a graduate program with an initial focus on clinical informatics to train bioinformaticians. The analysis begins by considering the development of the medical and biological informatics cultures over a 17-year period. Then we review how two separate curricula evolved to serve the needs of each group. Interviews with bioinformatics students and faculty indicated some dissatisfaction with the curriculum that developed within clinical informatics. Their comments are considered in the light of an analysis of the relationship between the application domains of biomedical informatics as a discipline. In response, a new curriculum was developed in which bioinformatics and clinical informatics are regarded as subdivisions of the same subject. A key feature of this curriculum is a new course, Theory and Methods in Biomedical Informatics, which presents informatics principles in their general form, and illustrates their application with examples drawn from across the biomedical spectrum.

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2.  Competencies for graduate curricula in health, medical and biomedical informatics: a framework

Author(s): Huang QR

Source: Health Informatics J 2007 Jun;13(2):89-103.

Summary: 

The rapid emergence of programmes in health informatics, medical informatics and biomedical informatics implies a need for core curricula in these diverse disciplines. This study investigated the recommended competencies for health and medical informatics, aiming to develop a framework for use in curricular development. Current health and medical programmes around the world were analysed to assess how these competencies are reflected in current curricula and to identify new competencies. Several preferred skills and knowledge sets were identified and 40 programs were analysed. Diverse curricular designs were found in these programmes. Competencies such as research skills, knowledge in health information systems and methods for informatics/computer science were the most frequently taught. Knowledge or skills in interpersonal communications, social impact of IT on health, and data mining may represent important skills for future informaticians. The suggested framework and the data analysed may be important for developing a competency-based modular curriculum.

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3.  Core content for the subspecialty of clinical informatics

Author(s): Gardner RM, Overhage JM, Steen EB, Munger BS, Holmes JH, Williamson JJ, Detmer DE; AMIA Board of Directors

Source: J Am Med Inform Assoc 2009 Mar-Apr;16(2):153-7.

Summary: 

The Core Content for Clinical Informatics for a medical subspecialty defines the boundaries of the discipline and informs the Program Requirements for Fellowship Education. Program Requirements identify the knowledge and skills that must be mastered through the course of fellowship training and specify accreditation requirements for training programs. The American Board of Medical Specialties considers these two documents along with other requirements and factors when deciding whether to establish a new medical subspecialty. The Core Content for Clinical Informatics is the result of a two-year national development process initiated by the American Medical Informatics Association and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The Core Content includes four major categories: fundamentals, clinical decision making and care process improvement, health information systems, and leadership and management of change. In November 2008, the AMIA Board of Directors approved both the Core Content and Program Requirements for clinical informatics.

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4.  Educating medical students as competent users of health information technologies: the MSOP data

Author(s): McGowan JJ, Passiment M, Hoffman HM

Source: Stud Health Technol Inform 2007 (NULL);129(Pt 2):1414-8.

Summary: 

As more health information technologies (IT) become part of the health care environment, the need for physicians with medical informatics (MI) competencies is growing. In 2006, a survey was created to determine the degree to which the Association of American Medical College’s Medical School Objectives Project (MSOP) MI competencies had been incorporated into medical school curricula in the US.  A web-based tool was used to create the survey; medical education deans or their designees were requested to complete the survey. Analysis focused on the clinician, researcher, and manager roles of physicians, with many objectives stated in the schools’ respective curricula and the competencies were being evaluated. However, only a few schools taught and assessed the MI objectives that required interaction with health information. To insure that physicians have the knowledge, skills, and attitudes to effectively and efficiently interact with today’s health IT, more MI concepts need to be included and assessed in all undergraduate medical education curricula in the US.

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5.  Educating 10,000 informaticians by 2010: the AMIA 10x10 program

Author(s): Hersh W, Williamson J

Source: Int J Med Inform 2007 May-Jun;76(5-6):377-82.

Summary: 

Despite numerous studies demonstrating the value of health information technology (HIT) in improving the quality, safety and efficiency of health care, there are still many recognized barriers to achieving its benefits on a larger scale. There is an increasing need for a larger and better trained workforce in medical informatics (MI). The goal of the American Medical Informatics Association 10x10 program is to educate 10,000 clinicians in MI by the year 2010. For the initial step, we adapted an on-line introductory graduate course, then evaluated results using Likert-scale and open-ended questions. The course was successfully implemented and attracted 51 individuals, 44 of whom completed it. The evaluation was generally positive, with all but one Likert-scale above 4.0 on a 1-to-5 scale. We successfully adapted an introductory MI course to a larger audience. The evaluation showed it was received positively and we have further plans to scale it to an even larger audience to meet the goals of the 10x10 program.

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6.  Implementation and evaluation of a medical informatics distance education program

Author(s): Hersh WR, Junium K, Mailhot M, Tidmarsh P

Source: J Am Med Inform Assoc 2001 Nov-Dec;8(6):570-84.

Summary: 

Given the need for continuing education in medical informatics for mid-career professionals, the authors aimed to implement and evaluate distance learning courses through a needs assessment, including student evaluations using a combination of Likert scale and free-form questions. The needs assessment indicated much interest in a medical informatics distance learning program, with electronic medical records and outcome research the subject areas of most interest. The courses were implemented by means of streaming audio plus slides for lectures and discussion boards for student interaction. Students were assessed by multiple-choice tests, a term paper, and a take-home final examination. In their course evaluations, student expressed strong satisfaction with the teaching modalities, course content, and system performance. Although not assessed experimentally, the performance of distance learning students was superior to that of on-campus students. Medical informatics education can be successfully implemented by means of distance learning technologies, with favorable student satisfaction and demonstrated learning. A graduate certificate program is now being implemented.

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7.  Nursing informatics knowledge and competencies: a national survey of nursing education programs in the United States

Author(s): McNeil BJ, Elfrink VL, Pierce ST, Beyea SC, Bickford CJ, Averill C

Source: Int J Med Inform 2005 Dec;74(11-12):1021-30.

Summary: 

An online survey of deans/directors of 266 baccalaureate and higher nursing programs in the U.S. was developed by informatics expert nurses. Participants (1) identified nursing informatics (NI) competencies and knowledge of undergraduate and/or graduate students in their nursing programs; (2) determined faculty preparedness to teach NI and to use informatics tools; and (3) provided perceptions of NI requirements of local practicing nurses. Frequency data and qualitative responses were analyzed. Least visible informatics content included the use of information system data standards, the Nursing Information and Data Set Evaluation Center criteria, the unified medical language system (UMLS), and the nurse’s role in the life cycle of an information system. Almost 50% of respondents perceived faculty as ‘‘novice’’ and ‘‘advanced beginners’’ in teaching and using NI applications. Findings have major implications for nurse faculty, staff developers, and program administrators who are planning continuing education opportunities and designing nursing curricula that prepare nurses for use of the electronic health record and professional practice.

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8.  Health and Biomedical Informatics: Opportunities and Challenges for a Twenty-First Century Profession and its Education

Author(s): Hersh W

Source: in Geissbuhler, A. and Kulikowski, C., eds. IMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics 2008 Stuttgart, Germany. Schattauer;(NULL)((NULL)):138-145.

Summary: 

The benefits of health information technology (HIT) for improving health, health care, public health, and biomedical research are well-known. Several recent systematic reviews have documented the evidence in favor of information technology (IT) interventions, clinical decision support, and telemedicine. This paper’s objectives are to characterize the health and biomedical informatics workforce, its professionalization, and its education through a literature review and analysis of the literature. Although the value of HIT is increasingly well-documented, there are still barriers to its widespread adoption around the world. One of those barriers is a well-defined and competent workforce for developing, evaluating, and implementing systems. There are plenty of opportunities in health and biomedical informatics, yet there also is still much that we do not know about this workforce and its education. Continued efforts must be made to characterize and understand the optimal organization and education of this workforce.

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9.  Pharmacy informatics syllabi in doctor of pharmacy programs in the US

Author(s): Fox BI, Karcher RB, Flynn A, Mitchell S

Source: Am J Pharm Educ 2008 Aug;72(4):1-9.

Summary: 

This paper assesses pharmacy informatics education, identifies current competencies, and develops a foundational set of recommendations for pharmacy informatics syllabi in doctor of pharmacy programs in the US. Accredited pharmacy programs were contacted, and data were collected using a mixed-mode procedure. Didactic and experiential syllabi were analyzed for compliance with informatics competencies in Accreditation Council for Pharmacy Education (ACPE) Standards 2007. Thirty-two of 89 schools responded; 25 provided syllabi (36% response rate, 28% submission rate). Twenty-seven didactic and 9 experiential syllabi were received. The syllabi contained a diverse mix of educational content, some of which represented pharmacy informatics content as defined by ACPE. Schools are teaching clinical system terminology, applications, and evaluation. Many professional programs are not providing instruction in pharmacy informatics. There may be confusion within the academy/profession between pharmacy informatics and drug information practice. Much work is required for programs to become compliant with the ACPE 2007 pharmacy informatics competencies.

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10.  Program requirements for fellowship education in the subspecialty of clinical informatics.

Author(s): Safran C, Shabot MM, Munger BS, Holmes JH, Steen EB, Lumpkin JR, Detmer DE; AMIA Board of Directors

Source: J Am Med Inform Assoc 2009 Mar-Apr;16(2):158-66.

Summary: 

The Program Requirements for the Fellowship Education for the Subspecialty of Clinical Informatics identify the knowledge and skills that physicians must master through the course of a fellowship training program to be certified in the subspecialty of clinical informatics. They also specify accreditation requirements for clinical informatics training programs. The document is based on the Core Content for Clinical Informatics and follows the format that all subspecialties use to specify the requirements for training programs accreditation. The American Board of Medical Specialties considers these two documents along with other requirements and factors when deciding whether to establish a new medical subspecialty. This document is the result of a two-year national development process initiated by the American Medical Informatics Association and supported by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. In November 2008, the AMIA Board of Directors approved both the Core Content and Program Requirements for clinical informatics.

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11.  Technology and informatics competencies

Author(s): Gassert CA

Source: Nurs Clin North Am 2008 Dec;43(4):507-21.

Summary: 

Health care information technology has the potential to achieve clinical transformation. Nursing students and faculty must be able to use these tools effectively to use data and knowledge in their practice, and currently graduating nursing students are unprepared to use technology in the technology-rich environments they are entering. This article describes informatics competencies for four levels of nurses (beginning nurses, experienced nurses, informatics specialists, and informatics innovators). Three examples of health care information technologies, not information systems, used in acute care settings are presented (infrared tracking, a nurse-call system, and wireless telephone system; card-coding technology system; voice recognition software system). Recent activities to include informatics competencies in program outcomes are also described in relation to the clinical nurse leader, doctorate of nursing practice, and baccalaureate essentials documents. Nursing educators need to embrace existing competencies and include activities that will prepare our graduates to use health care information technologies that will result in clinical transformation.