ПЕРІОДИЗАЦІЯ РОЗВИТКУ ПРОФЕСІЙНОЇ ОСВІТИ ФАХІВЦІВ З МЕДИЧНОЇ ІНФОРМАТИКИ У КАНАДІ

Abstract

The article provides a retrospective review of the development of health informatics professional education in Canada. The authors propose to divide its history into six periods using chronological and problem-based approach. The first period is characterized as a preparatory one as it laid the foundations of the emergence and further development of health informatics professional education in Canada. The second period started in 1981 and may be defined as the time of the birth of health informatics as an academic specialty. It is related to the establishment of the first Canadian health informatics department and the introduction of a Bachelor’s degree programme in health informatics at the University of Victoria. The characteristic feature of the third period is developing model curricula as well as educational conceptions, which gave a distinct differentiation of trajectories of health informatics education evolution. They are acquiring health informatics competency by medical students and practitioners; training health informatics professionals, and introducing Masters’ and Doctor’s degree programmes to train health informatics scientists. Regarding the fourth period, health informatics professional education in Canada experienced flourishing that started in the 2000s under the influence of Canada’s centralized policy on informatization of its health care system. The start of the fifth period is connected with unification of the scientific and methodological framework for training health informatics professionals in Canada. Since the beginning of the 21st century, health informatics professional organizations, academia, and employees have been engaged in defining health informatics professional core competencies and career matrix. Finally, in the modern period, the key task is to develop effective mechanisms for ensuring quality of the Canadian health informatics professional education.