Health Informatics Training Research Articles

A Skills Assessment Pathways-Based Program Assessment Approach in Multidisciplinary Graduate Health Informatics.

Multidisciplinary graduate education programs are hard to assess because of interdependent competencies. Students in these programs come with diverse disciplinary undergraduate degrees, and it is critical to identify knowledge gaps among these diverse learner groups to provide support to fill these gaps. Health Informatics (HI) is a multidisciplinary field in which health, technology, and social science knowledge are foundational to building HI competencies. In 2017, the American Medical Informatics Association identified ten functional domains in which HI competencies are divided. Using pre/post-semester knowledge assessment surveys of graduate students (n=60) between August 2021 to May 2022 in one of the largest graduate HI programs in the United States, we identified courses (n=9) across the curriculum that help build HI-specific competencies. Using statistical analysis, we identified three skills pathways by correlating knowledge gained with course learning objectives and used this to modify the curriculum over four semesters. These skills pathways are connected through one or two courses, where students can choose electives or, in some instances, course modules or assignments that link the skills pathways. Moreover, there is a statistically significant difference in how students gain these skills depending on their prior training, even though they take the same set of courses. Gender and other demographics did not show statistical differences in skills gained. Additionally, we found that research assistantships and internships/practicums provide additional skills not covered in our HI curriculum. Our program assessment methodology and resulting curricular changes might be relevant to HI and other multidisciplinary graduate training programs.

Integrating health disparities content into health informatics courses: a cross-sectional survey study and recommendations.

To assess the extent to which health disparities content is integrated in multidisciplinary health informatics training programs and examine instructor perspectives surrounding teaching strategies and challenges, including student engagement with course material. Data for this cross-sectional, descriptive study were collected between April and October 2019. Instructors of informatics courses taught in the United States were recruited via listservs and email. Eligibility was contingent on course inclusion of disparities content. Participants completed an online survey with open- and closed-ended questions to capture administrative- and teaching-related aspects of disparities education within informatics. Quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics; qualitative data were analyzed using inductive coding. Invitations were sent to 141 individuals and 11 listservs. We obtained data from 23 instructors about 24 informatics courses containing health disparities content. Courses were taught primarily in graduate-level programs (n = 21, 87.5%) in informatics (n = 9, 33.3%), nursing (n = 7, 25.9%), and information science (n = 6, 22.2%). The average course covered 6.5 (range 2-13) social determinants of health; socioeconomic status and race/ethnicity (both n = 21, 87.5%) were most frequently addressed. Instructors described multiple obstacles, including lack of resources and time to cover disparities topics adequately, topic sensitivity, and student-related challenges (eg, lack of prior understanding about disparities). A foundational and translational knowledge in health disparities is critical to a student's ability to develop future equitable informatics solutions. Based on our findings, we provide recommendations for the intentional and required integration of health disparities-specific content in informatics curricula and competencies.

Inequity in Digital Health Planning in Canada.

An evaluation of the paper by Falk (2022) in this issue using a word count method found that it omits consideration of substantial efforts, inherent data rights and experiences with virtual care from certain jurisdictions, professions and Indigenous groups. Although equity is positioned as a core policy pillar of virtual care, it is not defined, nor are factors underlying digital health inequity described. Deficits in health informatics training, regulation, pedagogy and research in Canada likely contribute to an inequitable approach to health informatics planning. A commitment to definitional rigour, taxonomic clarity and evidence-informed informatics will help promote digital health equity.

Evaluation of the European Health Information Training Programme (EHITP): results from InfAct Joint Action.

BackgroundThe InfAct (Information for Action) is a Joint Action of the European Commission’s 3rd Health Programme with the main goal to build an infrastructure of a health information system for a stronger European Union and to strengthen its core elements.The InfAct Joint Action was developed along 36 months and structured in 10 work packages.Portugal co-led the Work Package 6 (WP6) of this project, which included the development of the proposal of a flagship capacity building programme - the European Health Information Training Programme - and its evaluation. The evaluation objectives included: to evaluate the adequacy of the training programme to the health information needs in the European Member States; to identify possible changes regarding the participants selection process, the training activities and the pedagogical project; and to contribute to the understanding of the potential of the programme to add to available offers in learning on the topics of Public Health information, on the capacity building and behavioural changes in Public Health activities which can be attributed to the course, and of the potential of the programme to contribute to the alignment of health information criteria and procedures between the European Member States.MethodsThe evaluation process was developed using an observational descriptive study design using a mixed methodological approach with both document analysis and primary data collected by questionnaires and interviews analysis. Mixed quantitative and qualitative data collection methods and analysis were used.ResultsThe proposal of the European Health Information Training Programme seemed adequate to the formative needs and capacities in line with the work performed by the InfAct project. In what concerns about its main thematic areas, it was also aligned with the areas identified in the previous formative needs and capacities mapping. The participants selection process proposed seemed, in general, adequate. The potential of the European Health Information Training Programme proposal to learning, capacity building and behavioral changes at work attributable to the course was considered positive, as well as the potential to the alignment of health information criteria and procedures between European Union Member States.DiscussionIn general, we found high consistency between the results obtained from data collected by the techniques used. However, different suggestions for improvement were outlined by the evaluation study population.ConclusionsThe proposed European Health Information Training Programme was a dynamic, flexible, sustainable formative programme in health information and focused on reducing inequalities.Supplementary InformationThe online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1186/s13690-022-00895-2.

Establishing a Graduate Certificate in Health Informatics: Need Assessment and Competency-Based Framework.

Background:Health Informatics is an indispensable science in light of the massive reform healthcare has undertaken recently.Objective:Health Informatics is an indispensable science in light of the massive reform healthcare has undertaken recently.Methods:This descriptive multiphase study used a questionnaire to assess the need and applied a competency-based postgraduate curriculum to collect the required competencies as well as their proficiency levels.Results:Eighty percent of the respondents agreed that the current training should be advanced. 73.7% of the respondents agreed that this certificate would improve the level of knowledge, and it would impact on the delivery of healthcare positively (78.9%). For the required competencies, 10 competencies scored 1.75 and above, 22 scored between 1.5 and 1.75 and 22 scored below 1.50. The expert panel came to an agreement that the competencies with 1.5 and above should be included.Discussion:The findings emphasize the need to establish PG diploma in comply with previous studies that unveiled the need to provide education and training in Health Informatics. Only the required competencies were included as the program is one-year long. The selected competencies were validated and presented by the panel.Conclusion:A PG diploma in Health Informatics is a key element in the evolution of healthcare services, therefore, a competency-based framework was provided and validated by experts.

European School on Health Information: Strengthening Public Health Information Workforce in Europe

Abstract Background The globalisation of the world economies has increased the need for more global health approaches requiring sophisticated and sustainable Health Information (HI) systems, and the development of new technologies. These new technologies require skilled professionals to manage public health information in most efficient ways. New challenges in Public Health, such as Pandemics, are demanding more skillful people to respond to these challenges. However, currently large inequalities on availability and training of qualified Public Health Information professionals exist in Europe. Methods In order to set up a sustainable European Union HI training program, the 1st European School on Health Information (ESHI2020) was developed, an HI capacity building programme with European Experts. Based on this, PHIRI established Capacity Building as a fundamental arm for the development of health information, from which a set of training, courses and webinars have emerged. Results The ESHI2020 took place online from Oct 1 to Nov 5 2020, and was focused on Health Examination Survey, from data collection to policy-making. The course consisted of 5 sessions, including theoretical and practical classes, group work among trainees and discussion of practical cases and projects on HIS involving trainees and trainers. 20 participants from Europe, and 15 lecturers from European most important public health institutes and Universities contributed to this training. Conclusions There is a need for qualified skilled professionals in HI taking into account a changing global environment. Most of HI capacity building programmes are yet to reach maturity, and the results from the first ESHI2020 led to a new strategy on Health Information in Europe, that with the support of the PHIRI project will give rise to an European and annual program on Health Information.

The state of adoption of anesthesia information management systems in Canadian academic anesthesia departments: a survey

PurposeAnesthesia information management systems (AIMS) are gradually replacing paper documentation of anesthesia care. This study sought to determine the current status of AIMS adoption and the level of health informatics expertise in Canadian academic anesthesia departments.MethodsDepartment heads or their designates of Canadian academic anesthesia departments were invited by e-mail to complete an online survey between September 2019 and February 2020. The survey elicited information on current AIMS or future plans for an AIMS installation, the number of department members dedicated to clinical informatics issues, the gross level of health informatics expertise at each department, perceived advantages of AIMS, and perceived disadvantages of and barriers to implementation of AIMS.ResultsOf the 64 departments invited to participate, 63 (98.4%) completed the survey. Only 21 (33.3%) of the departments had AIMS. Of the 42 departments still charting on paper, 23 (54.8%) reported planning to install an AIMS within the next five years. Forty-six departments (73%) had at least one anesthesiologist tasked with dealing with AIMS or electronic health record issues. Most reported having no department members with extensive knowledge or formal training in health informatics. The top three perceived barriers and disadvantages to an AIMS installation were its initial cost, lack of funding, and a lack of technical support dedicated specifically to AIMS. The top three advantages departments wished to prioritize with AIMS were accurate clinical documentation, better data for quality improvement initiatives, and better data for research.ConclusionsA majority of Canadian academic anesthesia departments are still using paper records, but this trend is expected to reverse in the next five years as more departments install an AIMS. Health informatics expertise is lacking in most of the departments, with a minority planning to support the training of future anesthesia informaticians.

Health information systems in Jordan and Palestine: the need for health informatics training.

Some Arab countries have health information systems (HIS) in place but they lack well trained IT staff. Poor management and lack of appreciation of the importance of HIS are major barriers to development and adoption of HIS in Arab hospitals. This research is part of a survey carried out to determine health informatics (HI) use and to assess the training needs of health professionals in Jordan and Palestine. A survey was conducted in 2017 among employees in all health professions at 14 hospitals in Jordan and Palestine to assess their use of the HI system and to assess the HI skills needed in both countries. The majority of respondents reported that their hospital departments were employing computer systems to run services. More than half had received training in computer skills but also half said they needed specialized training in HI. Between 58.0% and 73.6% agreed that their hospitals provided the necessary support to operate HI systems. The vast majority (86.0%) of health professionals reported that they needed skills to monitor diagnosis and treatment, including access to clinical findings. Other skills needed included using shared hospital services (85.6%), using medical records (84.7%), managing electronic patient data (84.5%), using patient medical records to conduct clinical research (83.4%), and using tele-care services and technologies effectively (75.9%). Health professionals in Palestine and Jordan are in need of training in HI and therefore educational programmes in the area of HI are strongly recommended.

Current Approaches and Trends in Graduate Public Health Informatics Education in the United States: Four Case Studies from the Field.

Background:Public Health Informatics (PHI) has taken on new importance in recent years as health and well-being face a number of challenges, including environmental disasters, emerging infectious diseases, such as Zika, Ebola and SARS-CoV-2, the growing impact of the Influenza virus, the opioid epidemic, and social determinants of health. Understanding the relationship between climate change and the health of populations adds further complexity to global health issues. Objectives: To describe four examples of curricula that exist in U.S. based graduate-level public and population health informatics training programs. Methods: Biomedical informatics educators are challenged to provide learners with relevant, interesting, and meaningful educational experiences in working with and learning from the many data sources that comprise the domain of PHI. Programs at four institutions were reviewed to examine common teaching practices that stimulate learners to explore the field of public health informatics. Results: Four case studies represent a range of pedagogical approaches to meeting the requirements of three established accreditation/certification agencies relevant to PHI education. Despite their differences, each program achieved the established learning objectives along with a substantive record of student learning achievements. Conclusion: The overarching goal of empowering learners to serve an active and dynamic role in enhancing preventive measures, informing policy, improving personal health behaviors, and clarifying issues such as quality, cost of care, and the social determinants of health, are essential components of PHI education and training, and must receive additional consideration now and in the future by educators, policy makers, administrators, and government officials.

Domains, tasks, and knowledge for health informatics practice: results of a practice analysis.

To develop a comprehensive and current description of what health informatics (HI) professionals do and what they need to know. Six independent subject-matter expert panels drawn from and representative of HI professionals contributed to the development of a draft HI delineation of practice (DoP). An online survey was distributed to HI professionals to validate the draft DoP. A total of 1011 HI practitioners completed the survey. Survey respondents provided domain, task, knowledge and skill (KS) ratings, qualitative feedback on the completeness of the DoP, and detailed professional background and demographic information. This practice analysis resulted in a validated, comprehensive, and contemporary DoP comprising 5 domains, 74 tasks, and 144 KS statements. The HI practice analysis defined "health informatics professionals" to include practitioners with clinical (eg, dentistry, nursing, pharmacy), public health, and HI or computer science training. The affirmation of the DoP by reviewers and survey respondents reflects the emergence of a core set of tasks performed and KSs used by informaticians representing a broad spectrum of those currently practicing in the field. The HI practice analysis represents the first time that HI professionals have been surveyed to validate a description of their practice. The resulting HI DoP is an important milestone in the maturation of HI as a profession and will inform HI certification, accreditation, and education activities.

DEVELOPMENT HISTORY AND THE CURRENT STATE OF PROFESSIONAL TRAINING IN HEALTH INFORMATICS IN CANADA

MUKAN Nataliya – PhD hab. (Education), Professor of Pedagogy and Innovative Education Department, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12 Stepan Bandera Str., Lviv, 79013, Ukraine E-mail address: nataliya.v.mukan@lpnu.ua ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-4396-3408 ResearcherID: https://publons.com/researcher/1739818/nataliya-mukan/ KOBRYN Nadiya – Postgraduate student of Pedagogy and Innovative Education Department, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12 Stepan Bandera Str., Lviv, 79013, Ukraine E-mail address: nadiia.z.kobryn@lpnu.ua ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-1960-1212 ResearcherID: https://publons.com/researcher/2018398/nadiia-kobryn/ ZAPOTICHNA Mariya – Postgraduate student of Pedagogy and Innovative Education Department, Lviv Polytechnic National University, 12 Stepan Bandera Str., Lviv, 79013, Ukraine E-mail address: zapotichnam@gmail.com ORCID: http://orcid.org/0000-0002-1504-9136 To cite this article: Mukan, N., Kobryn, N., & Zapotichna, M. (2020). Development history and the current state of professional training in health informatics in Canada. Human Studies. Series of Pedagogy , 10/42, 62‒75. doi: https://doi.org/10.24919/2413-2039.10/42.186894 Article history Received: November 21, 2019 Received in revised form: December 10, 2019 Accepted: March 11, 2020 Available online: April 28, 2020 Journal homepage: http://lssp.dspu.edu.ua/ p-ISSN 2313-2094 e-ISSN 2413-2039 © 2020 The Authors. Human studies. Series of Pedagogy published by Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University & Open Journal Systems. This is an open access article under the CC BY-NC-SA 4.0 license ( http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-sa/4.0/ ). The article studies the history and the current state of the professional training in health informatics in Canada. The specifics of healthcare informatization in Canada as a precondition for its formation are analyzed. At its initial stages, the computer technology was implemented into the provincial and territorial healthcare institutions slowly and unevenly. The computerization policy was decentralized, and this did not promote an effective medical information exchange. Thus, at the beginning of the 2000s, Canada set course for the centralized healthcare informatization. It required a qualified workforce and became a catalyst for the development of professional training in health informatics in Canada. A retrospective analysis of the professional training in health informatics development in Canada is conducted. The research reveals that in its development professional training in health informatics has gone through the pre-institutional phase (the 1960s – 1980), which laid the basis for the appearance and further development of professional training in health informatics, and the institutional phase (1981 – till present time), when it began to be implemented into the Canadian higher educational institutions. The characteristic features of the institutional phase include the rise of health informatics as an academic speciality; the conceptualization of professional training in health informatics; the rapid increase in the number of health informatics professional programs in the mid 2000s; the unification of methodological, scientific framework for training health informatics professionals. The current state of the professional training in health informatics in Canada is studied. It is concluded that the Canadian system of the health informatics professional training is built on the principles of degree education and life-long learning. The educational process is organized in such a way that future health informatics professionals can receive a credential at different levels of the higher education, in particular a health informatics diploma or certificate in the non-degree granting institutions and Bachelor’s, Master’s and PhD degrees at universities. The analysis of the professional training content in health informatics enables to state that its development depends on the level of the higher education and is characterized by various combinations of academic disciplines in the health informatics curriculum within three knowledge domains – information sciences, health sciences, and management. Acknowledgments. Sincere thanks to Professor Mariya Chepil, the Head of General Pedagogy and Preschool Education Department of Drohobych Ivan Franko State Pedagogical University. Funding. The authors received no financial support for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. No potential conflict of interest was reported by the authors.

A new collaboration: Consumer health information training for Queensland's Moreton Bay Region Libraries

A new collaboration: Consumer health information training for Queensland's Moreton Bay Region Libraries

Developing a health information (HI) training programme: strengthening the public health workforce

Abstract Background New developments and technologies require skilled professionals to manage and use public health information in most efficient ways. However, currently training in specific fields is lacking and large inequalities exist in Europe in terms of the availability and training of qualified professionals. Methods In order to set up a sustainable EU HI training program for HI professionals, core modules need to be selected to provide adequate training across Europe. This study a scoping review and is doing a survey on current existing HI programmes and aimes to identify the main educational components needed to train HI professionals. The databases of Pubmed and Ebsco were searched for the scoping review. The survey is being circulated to representatives of InfAct in 28 countries. Based on the results a baseline HI training programme for practicing public health professionals will be proposed. Results Initial search identified 249 papers. After the exclusion of duplicates and unavailable documents, 53 papers were selected for review. Only 5 papers were found related to the European context. However the results from other papers could be extrapolated. The results were organised in 3 domains: organisation, people and technology dimensions. The development of HI capacities is often done through multiple and sequential interventions, which are adapted to the needs, conditions and resources available within each HIS. Thus, the importance of aligning training with working processes and usability in professional practice is key. This can be challenging, as HI functions are diverse across Europe. The results of the survey will be presented when processed by the time of the workshop. Conclusions There is a need for qualified skilled professionals in HI taking into account a changing global environment. Most of HI capacity building programmes are yet to reach maturity, and this review and survey identify a set of important areas for further development of the HI training programme.

Round table: Strengthening capacities in health information for better public health practice in Member States

Abstract According to Sir Michael Marmot: “To address inequalities in health in Europe, our first step must be to address the inequalities in health information (HI). All too commonly where health is poorest, HI tends to be poorest. HI is absent or incomplete just where we need it most.” One of the specific objectives of the Joint Action on Health Information (InfAct) is to reduce HI inequalities between and within EU Member States (MS). InfAct is addressing this through various capacity strengthening exercises including the design of a sustainable EU HI training programme. In this workshop, a first presentation will describe the development of the HI training programme for professionals working in HI within MS institutions. Subsequently, four capacity strengthening exercise will be presented illustrating potential topics to be covered in such a sustainable HI training programme. These 5 short presentations will feed the discussion of the workshop organised as a round table. The first exercise is an assessment of HI systems carried out by InfAct through peer review in 9 countries using an adjusted WHO Europe tool. The exercise builds on the framework of mutual learning and good practice exchange to identify in a standardised way strengths and limitations, and recommendations for direct and long-term improvement of their HI system. The second exercise presents 2 workshops given by InfAct on the European and National Burden of Disease (BoD) methodologies. The effort contributed to harmonising BoD methodologies at national and EU levels, thereby increasing comparability and facilitating knowledge exchange on BoD bilaterally and multilaterally in the EU. The third exercise presents an example of capacity building activities organised in the framework of a national prevention programme on cardiovascular risk assessment, which includes training of health professionals, provision of training material and risk evaluation tools, implementation in clinical practice, health data collection, and feedback of results in the community. The fourth exercise presents examples of capacity building activities by the European Health Examination Survey (EHES) initiative to establish a sustainable European network on nationally representative Health Examination Surveys (HESs), through hands-on training events, online training materials, person-to-person consultations, site visits and networking. This workshop provides participants insights on current activities in HI capacity strengthening in Europe which address health (information) inequalities. Additionally, participants will be able to provide feedback on the development of the sustainable HI training programme and potential elements that could be included based on four practical examples. The participants will be able to highlight their needs in health information training by interacting through a round table panel discussion. Key messages Health information capacity strengthening is essential to address health inequalities. The workshop identifies what a sustainable EU HI training program can provide. Mutual learning, knowledge and good practice exchange can be organised in various ways – we show practical current examples on how it has been done.

Expanding Research Capacity in Sub-Saharan Africa Through Informatics, Bioinformatics, and Data Science Training Programs in Mali.

Bioinformatics and data science research have boundless potential across Africa due to its high levels of genetic diversity and disproportionate burden of infectious diseases, including malaria, tuberculosis, HIV and AIDS, Ebola virus disease, and Lassa fever. This work lays out an incremental approach for reaching underserved countries in bioinformatics and data science research through a progression of capacity building, training, and research efforts. Two global health informatics training programs sponsored by the Fogarty International Center (FIC) were carried out at the University of Sciences, Techniques and Technologies of Bamako, Mali (USTTB) between 1999 and 2011. Together with capacity building efforts through the West Africa International Centers of Excellence in Malaria Research (ICEMR), this progress laid the groundwork for a bioinformatics and data science training program launched at USTTB as part of the Human Heredity and Health in Africa (H3Africa) initiative. Prior to the global health informatics training, its trainees published first or second authorship and third or higher authorship manuscripts at rates of 0.40 and 0.10 per year, respectively. Following the training, these rates increased to 0.70 and 1.23 per year, respectively, which was a statistically significant increase (p < 0.001). The bioinformatics and data science training program at USTTB commenced in 2017 focusing on student, faculty, and curriculum tiers of enhancement. The program’s sustainable measures included institutional support for core elements, university tuition and fees, resource sharing and coordination with local research projects and companion training programs, increased student and faculty publication rates, and increased research proposal submissions. Challenges reliance of high-speed bandwidth availability on short-term funding, lack of a discounted software portal for basic software applications, protracted application processes for United States visas, lack of industry job positions, and low publication rates in the areas of bioinformatics and data science. Long-term, incremental processes are necessary for engaging historically underserved countries in bioinformatics and data science research. The multi-tiered enhancement approach laid out here provides a platform for generating bioinformatics and data science technicians, teachers, researchers, and program managers. Increased literature on bioinformatics and data science training approaches and progress is needed to provide a framework for establishing benchmarks on the topics.

Health informatics competencies in postgraduate medical education and training in the UK: a mixed methods study

ObjectiveTo assess health informatics (HI) training in UK postgraduate medical education, across all specialties, against international standards in the context of UK digital health initiatives (eg, Health Data Research UK,...

Village based geographic spatial display of puskesmas data and villagers awareness campaign in dengue hemorrhagic fever (DHF): Lesson from Sleman

Public health agencies concern about the disease contraction processes at the population level. Early detection and prompt treatment can be made to prevent transmission in the earliest stage. Understanding that their areas are endemic to DHF and the fact that cases continue to occur from year to year, community and public health stakeholders have a reduced motivation to take actions to have precaution to dengue. The village community will not be aware of the problems until patients from their areas visit health facility. The goal of this paper is to illustrate health center initiative to raise DHF precaution through village based spatial data display of dengue for the villagers attention in raising agenda in the management of dengue hemorrhagic fever at the level where they live. The paper points out the success story of the team of health facility manager, active public health program managers, an information technology literate administrators, and participation of local and private health workers asking DHF suspects to have their blood test in the health center. Supporting staff with health informatics training background has been able to work together with laboratory workers. The laboratory workers input the computer application that translate patient thrombocyte count data into village based geographic-spatial display. These data provide quick evidence about what is happening in the population. Puskesmas manager has the MPH training with population health perspective and the moral of public health problem solving. By having this data, she could make the health promotion actions at the population level. This paper shows the ability of health center manager to link health facility data and the population level evidence for public health action. The data can be used to trigger community be aware of DHF and to raise agenda in the prevention of local diseases. This is an easy and feasible things to do. Primary care and public health are under the common responsibility of the puskesmas managers. It is clear that data of health facility serve as the warning system of disease contracting process at the population level and the promotion of simple evidence to push community to get involved in prevention activities.

Health informatics in UK medical education: a survey of current practice.

This study aimed to investigate the preparedness of tomorrow’s doctors for working in a future health service and to identify any education and training gaps, by collecting up-to-date data on the current status of health informatics (HI) training in UK medical schools and exploring whether it meets the General Medical Council (GMC)’s curriculum requirements. An online survey was developed informed by the GMC’s Outcomes for Graduates and recommendations of the International Medical Informatics Association. Senior academic staff and HI educators at …

Health informatics in UK medical education: a survey of current practice

This study aimed to investigate the preparedness of tomorrow’s doctors for working in a future health service and to identify any education and training gaps, by collecting up-to-date data on the current status of health informatics (HI) training in UK medical schools and exploring whether it meets the General Medical Council (GMC)’s curriculum requirements. An online survey was developed informed by the GMC’s Outcomes for Graduates and recommendations of the International Medical Informatics Association. Senior academic staff and HI educators at …

Satisfaction with Paper-Based Dental Records and Perception of Electronic Dental Records among Dental Professionals in Myanmar.

ObjectivesTo overcome challenges in the implementation of electronic dental record systems in a low-resource setting, it is crucial to know the level of users’ satisfaction with the existing system of paper-based dental records and their perceptions of electronic dental records.MethodsA cross-sectional paper-based questionnaire survey was conducted among Myanmar dental professionals who worked in one of two teaching hospitals or in private dental clinics. Descriptive data were analyzed and regression analysis was carried out to identify factors influencing perceptions of electronic dental records.ResultsMost dental professionals (>60%) were satisfied with just three out of six aspects of paper-based dental records (familiarity, flexibility, and portability). In addition, generalized positive perceptions were found among decision makers towards electronic dental records, and 86% of dentists indicated that they were willing to use them. Financial concerns were identified as the most important barrier to the implementation of electronic dental records among dentists who were not willing to use the proposed system.ConclusionsThe first step towards implementing electronic dental records in Myanmar should be improvement of the content and structure of paper-based dental records, especially in private dental clinics. Utilization of appropriate open-source electronic dental record software in private dental clinics is recommended to address perceived issues around financial barriers. For the long term, we recommend providing further education and training in health informatics to healthcare professionals to facilitate the efficient use of electronic dental record software in Myanmar in the future.