IS 377

Introduction to Biomedical Informatics

Meeting Information

Instructor

Course Overview

Medical Informatics, a novel academic discipline bridging Medicine and Information Sciences, may be defined as the science that deals with the structure, acquisition and use of medical information.    With the global boom in healthcare and quantum advancements in IT, medical informatics is already becoming an exciting career choice.  This introductory level graduate course is geared to meet the educational needs of two types of students:

1) The health care professional seeking additional training in information management and technology;

2) The non-health care professional seeking training in health information and technology.

The main objectives of the course are to provide students with:

–          A theoretical and practical understanding of the role of information in health care

–          A sound basis for implementing, developing, maintaining, and managing information resources and systems in health care

–          Skills in the management of health information, technology, and decision making.

The desire to provide the best-quality healthcare for our society makes it vitally important to effectively organize and manage the huge bodies of medical information that health professionals have to deal with. This in turn is creating the need for specialized approaches and for skilled scientists and analysts who are knowledgeable about both medicine and information technologies.

Text and Readings

1. Biomedical Informatics: Computer Applications in Health Care and Biomedicine (Health Informatics) (Hardcover)
   by Edward H. Shortliffe (Editor), James J. Cimino (Editor)
   Publisher: Springer; 3rd ed. edition (May 25, 2006)
   Language: English
   ISBN-10: 0387289860
   ISBN-13: 978-0387289861
   http://www.amazon.com/Biomedical-Informatics-Computer-Applications-Biomedicine/dp/0387289860/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200088035&sr=8-1
2. Health Information Management: Concepts, Principles, and Practice, Second Edition (Hardcover)
   by Kathleen M., Ed. LaTour (Author)
   Hardcover: 992 pages
   Publisher: AHIMA (American Health Information Management Association); 2 edition (April 18, 2006)
   Language: English
   ISBN-10: 1584261420
   ISBN-13: 978-1584261421
   http://www.amazon.com/Health-Information-Management-Concepts-Principles/dp/1584261420/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1200088074&sr=1-1

Several additional research articles from various journals will be made available during the course.

Course Requirements

1.                  Regular attendance and active participation in class.

2.                  Preparation of reading and discussion of class assignments.

3.                  Prepare and present the Research Paper

4.                  Prepare and submit the class projects.

5.                  Take all quizzes and exams.

Grading

Schedule (This is suggested only. Deviations maybe necessary)

Recommended Reading List:

1. Key Capabilities of an Electronic Health Record System. Letter Report. Committee on Data Standards for Patient Safety, Institute of Medicine (2003).
2. Harrison MI, Koppel R, Bar-Lev S “Unintended consequences of information technologies in health care–an interactive sociotechnical analysis.” J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2007 Sep-Oct;14(5):542-9. 2007 Jun 28
3. Douglas S. Bell, Dianna M. Daly,  and Paul Robinson,  “Is There a Digital Divide among Physicians? A Geographic Analysis of Information Technology in Southern California Physician Offices”, J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2003;10:484-493. DOI 10.1197/jamia.M1341
4. Paul C. Tang, Joan S. Ash,  David W. Bates, J. Marc Overhage,  and Daniel Z. Sands,  “Personal Health Records: Definitions, Benefits, and Strategies for Overcoming Barriers to Adoption”, J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2006;13:121-126. DOI 10.1197/jamia.M2025
5. Mirela Prgomet, Andrew Georgiou, Johanna I Westbrook, Review Paper: The Impact of Mobile Handheld Technology on Hospital Physicians’ Work Practices and Patient Care: A Systematic Review, JAMIA 2009;16:792–801 doi:10.1197/jamia.M3215
6. David W Bates, “The quality case for information technology in healthcare”, BMC Med Inform Decision Making, 2002; 2:7.
7. Shane R Reti, Henry J Feldman, Stephen E Ross, Charles Safran, Improving personal health records for patient-centered care, JAMIA 2010;17:185–191 doi:10.1136/jamia.2009.002451
8. Bengisu Tulu, Samir Chatterjee, Megha Maheshwari, “Telemedicine Taxonomy: A Classification Tool”, in Telemedicine and e-Health. 2007, 13(3): 349-358.
9. David W. Bates et al., “Ten Commandments for Effective Clinical Decision Support: Making the Practice of Evidence-based Medicine a Reality”, J Am Med Inform Assoc. 2003;10:523-530
10. “Medical Diagnostic Decision Support Systems — Past, Present, and Future: A Threaded Bibliography and Brief Commentary”, Randolph A. Miller,  JAMIA 1994: 1: 8-27.
11. “Managing Change: An Overview, Lorenzi and Riley”, J Am Med Inform Assoc.2000; 7: 116-124
12. Gregory J. Norman, et al., “A Review of eHealth Interventions for Physical Activity and Dietary Behavior Change”, Am J Prev Med, Vol. 33 (4), 2007.
13. 13. Joshua R Vest, Larry D Gamm, Health information exchange: persistent challenges and new strategies, JAMIA 2010;17:288–294 doi:10.1136/jamia.2010.003673
14. 14. Daniel J Friedman, R Gibson Parrish II, The population health record: concepts, definition, design, and implementation, JAMIA 2010;17:359–366 doi:10.1136/jamia.2009.001578

Class Assignments:

A mailing list will be created for this class. Students would be required to search the Internet for material related to any topic discussed each week and send the URL along with a brief description of the article to everyone through the mailing list.
Each week, there will be one or two reference articles that must be read by the students.

Research Paper & Presentation:

Student groups will turn in a research paper on a particular topic of interest related to the class. A list of topics would be provided by the instructor. Your job would be to research that topic, collect a few good papers and review them. Then you will write a report in your own words about that topic. The format and other details about the report would be provided in due course. You will also prepare a 15-page PowerPoint slide on your topic. Students will be asked to present their report to class.

Class Projects:

There will be two class projects. The project would be discussed in class and a description along with deliverables will be provided. You will need to have a laptop for doing the projects.  Each student will conduct independent research on the topic and may also have to learn a specific software tool that will be discussed in class. Each student is expected to complete the assignment and present results from the project in a written report. Your grade will depend on the report as well as your participation in class.  More details will be provided at appropriate time.

Policy on Plagiarism:

If I find that you have plagiarized your work, then based on the consultation with the Dean, I will either assign you an F for the assignment or depending upon severity of the issue, assign you an F for the entire course.