Improving health and healthcare institutions requires understanding of data and creation of interventions at the many levels at which health IT interact and affect the institution. These levels range from the external “world” in which the institution operates down to the specific technologies. Data scientists find that, when they aim at implementing their models in practice, it is the “socio” components that are both novel to them and mission critical to success. At the end of this course, students will be able to make a quick assessment of a health informatics problem—or a proposed solution—and to determine what is missing and what more needs to be learned.
The Social and Technical Context of Health Informatics
The Social and Technical Context of Health Informatics
This course is part of Health Informatics Specialization
Instructor: Harold P. Lehmann, MD, Ph.D.
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4.2
(503 reviews)
Beginner level
Recommended experience
Flexible schedule
Approx. 9 hours
Learn at your own pace
89%
Most learners liked this course
What you'll learn
Articulate a coherent problem definition of, and a plan for addressing, a healthcare informatics problem.
Create an Informatics Stack analysis of an informatics problem.
Describe eleven socio-technical aspects of a health informatics problem or solution.
Skills you'll gain
Details to know
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Assessments
4 assignments
Taught in English
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This course is part of the Health Informatics Specialization
When you enroll in this course, you'll also be enrolled in this Specialization.
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There are 4 modules in this course
In this module, you will be given an introduction to the course and its foundational concepts. After providing examples of health IT in the contexts of patients, providers, and populations—the three contexts we always return to—we articulate the drivers that motivate developments in health IT and informatics. We then provide the core definitions of key terms (like “health IT” and “informatics”) and introduce the core framework for your work in this course, the Informatics Stack.
What's included
11 videos1 reading1 assignment
In this module, we start our journey down the Stack to explain the world of informatics and health IT. We explore the top four levels of the Stack (World, Organization, Roles, and Functions), and then proceed to discuss new US medical-care (“World”) policies that drive health care Organizations to change practice, so they can accomplish their core Functions. We also discuss the history of health IT in relation to such policies in the past. We begin a course-long discussion of interoperability (which occurs at each level of the Stack), and privacy/confidentiality/security. We end with an explication of methods used to Evaluate whether an IT project has achieved the Organizational goals set for that project.
What's included
6 videos1 assignment
In this module, we continue the journey, starting with the role of needs, requirements, and specifications. We then turn to how workflow issues are turned into requirements and how information systems, built to satisfy those requirements, are assembled. We close with the cautionary notes of how poorly built systems harm the very workflows they were designed to improve.
What's included
6 videos1 assignment
This module concludes our journey with discussions of Data, Information, Knowledge, and Technology. Regarding data, we discuss their sources and types and provide examples. We go on to explain differences between information and data, and between knowledge and information. Standards are most important at this level, and we discuss the exchange of text and imaging data. Regarding technology, we use the Hype Cycle as a way for you to keep track of what new technologies are doing what and when. We close with a framework for thinking about careers in health IT and informatics.
What's included
11 videos1 assignment1 peer review
Instructor
Instructor ratings
4.2 (146 ratings)Offered by
Recommended if you're interested in Health Informatics
University of Minnesota
Northeastern University
University of Minnesota
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4.2
503 reviews
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Showing 3 of 503
MS
5
Reviewed on Jul 7, 2019
This course is great for beginners in the field of Health Informatics. I really enjoyed it and learnt some new fundamentals concepts and models. Thanks for the effort put in this course
DG
5
Reviewed on Jun 13, 2020
Content and delivery are very clear and concise, would appreciate some more reading material or reference list for each module but otherwise a wonderful learning resource.
AP
5
Reviewed on Sep 24, 2023
This was a great foundational course for Healthcare IT and introduction to the Electronic Healthcare System
New to Health Informatics? Start here.
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