The Role of iSchools in Shaping the Future of Health Informatics

Caine, Kelly; Connelly, Kay; Hayes, Barbara; Kientz, Julie

Permalink

https://hdl.handle.net/2142/14968 Copy

Description

Title

The Role of iSchools in Shaping the Future of Health Informatics

Author(s)

• Caine, Kelly
• Connelly, Kay
• Hayes, Barbara
• Kientz, Julie

Issue Date

2010-02-03

Keyword(s)

health informatics

Abstract

In remarks to the National Academy of Sciences earlier this year President Obama discussed many of the proposed benefits of stimulating growth in health and medical informatics. He proposed that computerizing medical records would reduce duplication and waste, and would help to prevent errors that cost dollars and lives. He also noted that “records hold the potential of offering patients the chance to be more active participants in prevention and treatment” [1]. For this hope to become a reality, people need to be able to understand and use their own health information. Consumers of health care are increasingly being asked to take more responsibility for their health and pay a larger share of their health care bills. New digital tools are giving patients access to their own information and helping them interpret and act on that information. Nevertheless, there are many challenges in creating health information useful to consumers in understandable, usable, and actionable ways. Fortunately, many researchers in iSchools have already begun to address these challenges. In this roundtable discussion we will explore how iSchools can shape the future of Health Informatics research and practice. We will introduce many of the modern challenges in Health Informatics including: how practitioners and consumers may collect, transform, synthesize, analyze and act on health related information and discuss how iSchools are uniquely positioned to address these interdisciplinary challenges. In addition, we will consider how the International Medical Informatics Association’s [2] recommendations on education in health and medical informatics fit with the structure of iSchools. This session will also focus on the ways iSchools can best prepare students for careers as health informaticians. We will discuss differences between medical informatics (see [3] for a discussion of medical informatics within iSchools) and health informatics and also explore differences between informatics classes taught in medical and nursing programs and informatics classes taught within iSchools.

Type of Resource

text

Permalink

http://hdl.handle.net/2142/14968

Owning Collections