Computer Applications in Public Health
Hands-On and Online!

Welcome to the Land of Electrons!
Please read before or during the first week of class.

COURSE NUMBER:

PHC 6196

COURSE TITLE:

Computer Applications in Public Health

COURSE OVERVIEW:

This course is part of the Master of Public Health degree program. This course can also be used to satisfy the requirements for the Special Topics course in the Certificate in Medical Informatics program. Beginning SPRING 2006, this course will be taught completely online within the UWF eLearning course management system.

COURSE COORDINATOR:

Melanie A. Sutton, Ph.D. Division of Life and Health Sciences, UWF msutton@uwf.edu Co-Director, Medical Informatics Program	Justice Mbizo, M.S., Dr.PH Course Facilitator jmbizo@uwf.edu Medical Informatics Program, sahls
[biosketch]	[biosketch]

CONTACT INFORMATION:

msutton@uwf.edu

PREREQUISITES OR COREQUISITES:

• Working knowledge of how to use personal computers, including knowledge of word-processing, spreadsheet packages and Internet searching.
• Training in a health care-related field at the Associate's or Bachelor's level.

Students lacking any of the above prerequisites 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.

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This course provides an overview of various computer applications in public health and introduces modern software systems for analyzing health-related data. Fundamentals of data collection, statistical analysis, interpretation, and reporting results are covered. Technology-based implications for legal and ethical issues are also addressed (including documentation, security, and regulatory requirements).

STUDENT LEARNING OUTCOMES (Objectives):

This course meets the following programmatic goals for the MPH degree and Certificate in Medical Informatics programs:
• Project Management:
  • Students will be able to plan and present cooperative solutions involving interdisciplinary teams (e.g., public health officials, physicians, administrators, and other health care professionals) to issues addressed in case studies in public health.
  • Students will be able to develop and present a term project and oral/electronic presentation on a topic/case study in the area of computer applications in public health.
  • Students will be able to defend conclusions related to choices of alternative software packages in presented term project (addressing issues of data collection, analysis, interpretation and reporting).
• Integrity/Values:
  • Students will be able to lead a class discussion on the applicability of health care laws (e.g., HIPAA) and professional ethics (e.g., IEEE-ACM Software Engineering Code of Ethics and Professional Practice) to a presented topic or case study (including documentation, security, and regulatory requirements).

TOPICS COVERED:

	Topic	Approximate coverage [ (all online)]
1.	Introduction to computer applications in public health: hardware, software, and the roles of support personnel	3 hours
2.	Computer-based patient-care, patient-monitoring, and clinical decision-support systems	3 hours
3.	Computer-based safety and environmental assessment systems	3 hours
4.	Data collection and reporting strategies	3 hours
5.	Review of biostatistical methods in epidemiology; spreadsheet/statistics package basics	6 hours
6.	Database management systems; roles for modeling, simulation, and case studies	9 hours
7.	Transferring data between programs	3 hours
8.	GIS in public health: environmental health protection, disease surveillance, social and demographic analyses	9 hours
9.	Using the Web to improve public health awareness and accountability	3 hours
10.	Project management; legal and ethical issues: documentation, security, confidentiality and regulatory requirements (e.g., HIPPA)	6 hours
	Total instructional hours	48 ONLINE hours

REQUIRED TEXTS/MATERIALS:

This course will draw upon a variety of reading materials to cover the topics provided above, with copies of relevant articles provided via the UWF library course reserve system. An extensive on-line course Website will also supplement these materials, with relevant links to labs, hands-on assignments and various agencies and institutions developing computer applications in public health.

SPECIAL TECHNOLOGY UTILIZED BY STUDENTS: (beyond baseline requirements of e-mail and word processing)

• The following software will be utilized in this course:
  • Excel, SAS, Access, ColdFusion.
• Students will be provided with UWF computer accounts and access to a computer laboratory to complete in-class assignments and on-line course modules.

REFERENCES/BIBLIOGRAPHY:

• Shortliffe, E.H. & Perreault, L.E. (Editors). (2001). Medical Informatics: Computer Applications in Health Care and Biomedicine. Springer-Verlag.
• Newman, S.C. (2001). Biostatistical Methods in Epidemiology. John Wiley & Sons.

GRADING/EVALUATION:

• 20% Tests. Tests will be based on lecture material, supplemental handouts, laboratory exercises, and provided on-line resources. Test materials may include short answer and essay questions.
• 20% Laboratory/Discussion exercises. These assignments provide the hands-on component to the course and may be completed utilizing UWF's computer labs.
• 60% Research and Website project. Part of your course grade will be based on the development, implementation, and presentation of a research project. A list of possible topics in computer applications in public health will be provided, and project brainstorming and milestone discussions will be scheduled throughout the semester. All final projects will be presented as Websites in an end-of-the-semester dinner forum (open to classmates, as well as other students and faculty). The layout of your Website will include typical areas specified in posters used at professional conferences. Part of your grade for this component of the course will include participating as a Website judge and providing professional feedback to your classmates. Additional guidelines for this course requirement will be posted during the first week of class. Products associated with the research project (title and abstract) and the URL for the final project Website you develop will be submitted online utilizing UWF's elearning.uwf.edu environment.

EXPECTATIONS FOR ACADEMIC CONDUCT/PLAGIARISM POLICY:

• Academic Conduct Policy [Web format | PDF format | rtf format]
• Plagiarism Policy [Word format | PDF format | rtf format]
• Student Handbook [PDF format]

  It is the philosophy of The University of West Florida that academic dishonesty is a completely unacceptable mode of conduct and will not be tolerated in any form. All persons involved in academic dishonesty will be disciplined in accordance with University regulations and procedures. Discipline may include suspension or expulsion from the University. Scholastic dishonesty includes but is not limited to cheating, plagiarism, collusion, the submission for credit of any work or materials that are attributable in whole or in part to another person, taking an examination for another person, any act designed to give unfair advantage to a student or the attempt to commit such acts.

  In addition, any behavior that interferes with the conduct of a class is classified as disruptive behavior and will not be tolerated. Although not exhaustive, examples of disruptive behavior would include: routinely entering class late or departing class early without specific permission from the instructor; talking in class without being recognized; threatening faculty or fellow students or verbal abuse of faculty or fellow students; physical or verbal displays of anger; etc.

ASSISTANCE:

Students with special needs who require specific examination-related or other course-related accommodations should contact Disabled Student Services (DSS), dss@uwf.edu, (850) 474-2387. DSS will provide the student with a letter for the instructor that will specify any recommended accommodations. Every effort will be made to accommodate the special needs of disabled students. Please see the instructor in the privacy of her office during the first week of class to inform her of your particular needs. All such accommodations are officially arranged through the Office for Disabled Student Services and a letter from that office must accompany your request.

DIRECTIONS TO OUR FACILITY

This course is taught off the UWF main campus, in the Division of Life and Health Science's Education Facility located at 5149 N. 9th Avenue, in the Payne Building of the Medical Mall area of Sacred Heart Hospital (SHH). The Payne Building is attached to SHH, faces Bayou Boulevard and is just to the west of the Cardiovascular facility at SHH. If you enter from 9th Ave. through the southern most access into the SHH property, make a left at the service road and follow the service road around to your right (you will see the Cardiovascular unit on your right and you will be traveling past the front of this unit). At the stop sign south of and just past the Cardiovascular unit look to your right and there will be a small, separate parking lot which services two buildings (the building on the right is the Payne Building). Park in that lot and go to the left face of that building where there is an entrance (the entrance faces the second building in the set). Enter the small lobby of the Payne Building and take the elevator on the left side of the lobby to the third floor. Get off of the elevator and turn left and make an immediate left down the hall to the second to last door on your right (Suite 255). Enter our new facility, and we will be there to greet you!

Out-of-town students may also like to obtain specific driving directions from MapQuest. Just enter your starting address and our office address (5149 N. 9th Avenue, Pensacola, FL 32504) as the ending address, then click on "Get Directions."