Introduction to Medical Informatics

Welcome to Our Course, and to Our Programs

Welcome to Introduction to Medical Informatics, Online. We welcome students in this class who are completing this course as part the Certificate in Medical Informatics program and students enrolled from the Master of Public Health degree program, seeking information on this field and how it impacts public health informatics.

To learn a bit more about the course and what to expect in UWF's eLearning environment, please review our Introductory PowerPoint presentation. (View as a slideshow to follow the embedded links.) Also, please read our official welcome message, e-mailed to each student during the first week of class.

Prerequisites

Students in this course generally have the following background:

Working knowledge of medical terminology and/or willingness to Google new medical terms as they arise in course content.
Working knowledge of how to use personal computers, including knowledge of word-processing, spreadsheet packages and Internet searching.
Academic training in an information systems/technology, engineering, occupational safety, or health care-related field at the Associate's or Bachelor's level. RNs at any level (diploma, Associate's or higher) also welcome.
Permitted substitution: Students may substitute 3-5 years experience in an information systems/technology, engineering, occupational safety, or health care-related organization for this academic training requirement.

Students will be provided with UWF eLearning accounts to complete all on-line course modules. Students without this background but still interested in the Medical Informatics Certificate Program should contact Dr. Melanie A. Sutton (msutton@uwf.edu) for possible alternative substitute courses or training. If you are a student in the Certificate in Medical Informatics program, please note this is one of four courses you will take. Although this is a great course to start with, you may take the courses in any order that meets your scheduling needs.

Student Learning Outcomes

This course meets the following programmatic goals for the Certificate in Medical Informatics program:

Content and Critical Thinking:
- Students will be able to effectively use popular medical online resources to address specific case studies.
- Students will be able to perform effective literature retrievals for specific case studies.
- Students will be able to evaluate the relationships between patient safety and medical informatics.
- Students will be able to defend conclusions regarding the use of patient and disease registries for disease management.
- Students will be able to defend conclusions regarding the use/practice of evidence-based medicine, e-prescribing and pay for performance.
Communication:
- Students will be able to develop projects using standard business software to meet specific needs in health care environments.
- Students will be able to use mobile, wireless and/or PDA devices to meet specific needs within a health care environment.
- Students will be able to communicate with physicians, clinicians, administrators, and other health care professionals on the use of current and emerging computer technologies.

Evaluating Your Course Progress

30% Testing (mutliple choice, true/false, short answer)
30% On-line discussion and lab participation/completion
40% Two research-based, topical papers, 3-5 pages each, addressing/analyzing a medical informatics issue

Course Materials

Medical Informatics Resource Site
This course will draw upon a variety of additional reading materials to cover the topics provided above, with links provided within the eLearning course managament system.

Course Details