Course provides a broad overview of healthcare information systems with emphasis on historical foundations, current issues, and industry pressures pushing modernization and increased sophistication in the use of technology. Major topics include an overview of healthcare use of information technology, medical informatics, public health informatics, information technology infrastructure, ethics in computing, computer security, consumer informatics, clinical software, computing in clinical education, research computing, IT strategy, community-wide clinical information sharing, and the future of healthcare computing. Student evaluation is based on mid-term and final exams, online discussion and writing Wikis.

This course is offered through the JHSPH’s online learning environment. Overall it provides a broad overview of healthcare information systems with emphasis on historical foundations, current issues, and industry pressures pushing modernization and increased sophistication in healthcare computing. The class format will be lectures, online discussions, LiveTalk sessions, and reading assignments.

Major topics include the following:

• An overview of healthcare use of information technology
• Medical informatics
• Public health informatics
• Information technology infrastructure
• Ethics in computing
• Computer security
• Consumer informatics
• Clinical software
• Computing in clinical education
• Research computing
• IT strategy
• Community-wide information sharing
• Future of healthcare computing

There are amazing new technologies available that can positively impact healthcare. At the same time, there are issues forcing the healthcare industry to make better use of technology, including; the need to improve patient safety, high cost of healthcare, threats of bioterrorism, potential of global disease pandemics, and new regulations. Given these opportunities for technological-based improvement and the significant investments being made in technology, the effective management of information technology is a key focus and challenge for any organization in the healthcare industry.

All required reading materials are posted in E-Reserves (enter 312633sph for the password if you are prompted). The course Online Library has a bibliographic list of the reading assignments.

The class will have two LiveTalk sessions, where the instructor, TA, and students join at the same time to discuss topics relevant to the course. The dates and times for the two LiveTalk sessions are indicated on the course Schedule and Course Content pages.

The format of the LiveTalks will include the instructor sharing a brief overview of a topic, and the students adding both typed (chat) and oral discussions.

If a student can’t attend the Live Talk during the time of planned session, they should inform the instructor or TA prior to the session. Students that can’t make the session will need to listen the recorded session (available in the course LiveTalk archive), confirm to the instructor they did listen to the LiveTalk session, and submit discussion points they would have made during the session.

Students will be graded on their participation and contributions. All students are expected to share and add to the LiveTalk discussions. There is five possible points for the two Live Talk discussions; 2 ½ for each LiveTalk session.

Course Instructor: Michael Minear Johns Hopkins University Email: mminear@jhsph.edu Teaching Assistant: Yong Chen Email: ychen1@jhsph.edu

Upon completion of this course, the student will be able to do the following:

• Discuss pioneering efforts to create computing devices and early forms of computers
• Discuss the many forces of change that have put healthcare information technology into the national agenda
• Discuss historical public health projects in data collection, data analysis, and mapping and how they are similar to modern day public health data management approaches
• Define surveillance centers and how they use information technology
• Discuss the impact of natural and man-made disasters and what steps IT planners and management should take to protect computer resources
• Discuss the importance of technology standards and define the key network standards
• Define ethics and computer ethics; give real world examples of information technology issues impacted by ethics
• Describe how modern computing and networks have created new risks and vulnerabilities for the systems and people who use them
• Contrast consumer informatics with medical informatics
• Discuss efforts to transform the healthcare industry from paper (analog) based medical records to electronic (digital) records, and define the key elements of electronic records
• Describe examples of digital content, information access, simulation and online environments used to support clinical education
• Describe how researchers have leveraged information technology; discuss the history of Index Medicus and how it morphed into PubMed
• Define an information technology strategic planning process
• Discuss technology diffusion rates and how they can be used to help plan technology deployment projects
• Discuss current efforts to create health data sharing networks to share patient information at a community level