Imaging Informatics Education in Clinical Informatics Programs: Perspective from Imaging and Clinical Informatics Professionals.

BACKGROUND: Imaging and Clinical Informatics are domains of biomedical informatics. Imaging Informatics topics are often not covered in depth in most Clinical Informatics fellowships. While dedicated Imaging Informatics fellowships exist, they may not have the same rigor as ACGME (Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education) accredited Clinical Informatics fellowships and they do not provide a direct path toward subspecialty board certification. OBJECTIVES: We compared published curricula and test content between Clinical and Imaging Informatics fellowship programs. We then highlighted differences between training programs and identified overlapping topics and opportunities for additional education for each type of trainee. METHODS: Published consensus curricula and topics were extracted for each specialty. Two informaticists compared topics as shared or not shared between specialties. Next, test content outlines were compared for each specialty exam, extracted, and classified as shared or not shared content. A Venn diagram was created to highlight areas unique to each specialty as well as areas of overlap. RESULTS: There were 139 Clinical Informatics topics compared with 97 Imaging Informatics topics. Of the 139 Clinical Informatics topics, 115 (83%) were covered in the Imaging Informatics curriculum. Of the 97 Imaging Informatics topics, 74 (76%) were covered in the Clinical Informatics curriculum. When using test content outline data, 170 out of 397 (43%) Imaging Informatics topics matched to 64 out of 139 (46%) Clinical Informatics topics. We describe examples of overlapping topics and those unique to each program to identify potential areas to expand. CONCLUSION: Imaging Informatics and Clinical Informatics fellowship programs have some overlap with areas unique to each. Our review may help guide those seeking informatics education and potential certification. As enterprise imaging evolves, these differences may become more important and create knowledge gaps, if not systematically evaluated.

Digital literacy education for UK undergraduate pharmacy students: a mixed-methods study.

OBJECTIVES: Digital literacy is increasingly crucial in pharmacy practice, and relevant education and training are required to prepare the future workforce. This study aims to explore the current and planned inclusion of digital literacy education in the undergraduate curricula of UK pharmacy schools. METHODS: A mixed-methods approach was conducted with two phases. The first involved a content analysis of published curricula from all 30 UK pharmacy schools. The second phase included a survey based on the Health Education England Digital Capabilities Framework, distributed to academic staff across all pharmacy schools. KEY FINDINGS: Data from 14 pharmacy schools' curricula were included in the analysis, with 10 reporting digital literacy education. Key themes identified from the analysed documents included understanding of health informatics, applied informatics, information technology skills, and the emerging digital health technology. Nineteen respondents from 16 schools participated in the survey; digital literacy inclusion was reported by 18 participants. There was variable alignment of digital literacy competencies with the Health Education England framework. Digital literacy was mainly integrated into existing teaching sessions, predominantly through self-learning (n = 12). Electronic Health Records and remote counselling were the main focus areas within the curricula. Challenges in implementing digital literacy include a lack of expertise (n = 13), and time constraints (n = 10). CONCLUSIONS: The trend towards embedding digital literacy in UK pharmacy curricula is clear, but disparities suggest the need for a more unified strategy. Recommendations include establishing a specific digital literacy framework aligned with professional needs, improving accessibility and transparency in curricula documents, and investing in faculty development.

A Quarter-Century of Online Informatics Education: Learners Served and Lessons Learned.

The value and methods of online learning have changed tremendously over the last 25 years. The goal of this paper is to review a quarter-century of experience with online learning by the author in the field of biomedical and health informatics, describing the learners served and the lessons learned. The author details the history of the decision to pursue online education in informatics, describing the approaches taken as educational technology evolved over time. A large number of learners have been served, and the online learning approach has been well-received, with many lessons learned to optimize the educational experience. Online education in biomedical and health informatics has provided a scalable and exemplary approach to learning in this field.

Education Challenges Among Early Career Researchers in Medical Informatics.

There is limited knowledge about early career researchers' challenges when studying the interdisciplinary field of Medical Informatics (MI). We conducted a qualitative content analysis through semi-structured interviews with early career researchers in MI, including individuals pursuing Master's, PhD, and postdoctoral research programmes, across two higher education institutions in the UK. We identified five challenges, including understanding biological jargon, interpreting biological data, interdisciplinary communication, understanding mathematical/statistical concepts, and programming difficulties. These insights and suggested actions to address those challenges can help to improve MI education.

Undergraduate Degree in Medical Data Science: A Conceptual Framework.

The undergraduate degree program in medical data science aims to train future data scientists with a medical lens to tackle healthcare challenges using a data-driven approach. The program is a collaborative effort within the Berlin University Alliance, addressing the lack of healthcare-focused data science education in Berlin and Germany. The curriculum covers mathematics, informatics, medical informatics, and medicine, featuring diverse didactic formats. Graduates will be equipped to lead data science and digital transformation projects in healthcare.

Self-Reported Learning Strategies and Preferences in Health Informatics.

Despite the proliferation of educational programmes in Health Informatics (HI) worldwide, there is limited knowledge regarding students' preferences and learning strategies in HI courses. To address this gap, we conducted a study to gather and analyse data from three HI courses. Employing the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ) and theories of deep and surface learning, we designed a questionnaire to collect data. The analysis of students' responses indicates that machine learning emerges as one of the most interesting topics, while certain topics such as data wrangling of genomics data were more challenging for students. Students expressed a preference for sequential learning. They exhibited multimodal tendencies regarding the type of learning resources, with tendency to prefer learning resources that have more visual contents. In all three courses, learners reported using deep learning strategy rather than surface learning, yet they appear to struggle with employing organisation, elaboration, and peer learning tactics. This study provides valuable insights into HI education, offering recommendations for educators, learners, and researchers to enhance HI education.

Assessing Health Data Science Internships: A Comprehensive Study at the University of Lille.

Data Science emerged as a new cross-disciplinary discipline at the intersection of statistics, computer science, and expertise in a specific domain, such as health and biology. The data science field, alongside other data-related professions, is continuously evolving. We conducted a study examining tasks assigned to first-year internship students pursuing a Master's degree in Health Data Science, exploring the missions, technologies employed and skills required, and internship alignment with students' training through semi-structured interviews with 32 participants. Three quarters of the students were placed in teams within the public sector. Among these entities, there were 11 hospitals and 12 universities. Although the majority of students did their internship as part of a methodological team, they often had a healthcare professional on their team. Nearly half of the missions involved descriptive analysis, followed by 9 missions focused on etiology or prediction and 8 missions on implementing a data warehouse. The majority of students had to perform data management and produce graphs, while only half conducted statistical analysis. The findings highlighted that data management remains a major challenge, and it should be taken into consideration when designing training programs. In future, it remains to determine whether this trend will continue with second-year students or if, with experience, they are more often assigned statistical analyses.

Analyzing the Efficacy of an Open Access Biomedical Informatics Boot Camp.

Each summer, the University at Buffalo hosts a free, virtual biomedical informatics (BMI) boot camp. Lectures covering various subject matter areas are offered including, but not limited to: machine learning, natural language processing, programming, database queries, clinical decision support (CDS), and public and consumer health informatics. Once the 2023 boot camp had concluded, an anonymous, voluntary survey was offered to everyone who attended. The results of the boot camp were overwhelmingly positive with 70% of the survey participants indicating that they agreed that their expectations were met. 82% of the participants indicated that our JupyterHub and the educational coding materials stored on it are useful tools for the learning process. Qualitative analyses showed a desire for additional hands-on learning over theoretical lectures.

Recommended target audience, course content and learning arrangements for teaching health informatics competencies: A scoping review.

Background: As healthcare depends on health information technology, there is a growing need for Health Informatics competencies in daily practice. This review aimed to explore how the teaching of education in HI has been arranged. 28 publications, published in English between 2016 and 2020 and obtained from selected bibliographic databases, were reviewed. The data was analyzed using deductive content analysis with the following pre-formulated topics: target audience, course content and learning arrangements. The results highlight three key competencies: documentation and communication, management, and understanding of health information technology. It underlines a blended teaching method to improve the competencies of healthcare professionals, graduates, undergraduates, and suggests adding active interactions, multi-professional interactions, and hands-on skills. This study highlights the importance of adapting to changes in healthcare, improving HI competencies in healthcare, and fostering positive digital experiences. It underlined the need for practical training, in theory and hands-on sessions, including key competencies in documentation and communication, management and health information systems.

A teaching model for biomedical imaging informatics.

INTRODUCTION: Radiology played a leading role in the transformation of medicine to a digital environment. To ensure the smooth operation and managing workflow in a digital imaging environment, dedicated, well-trained individuals are needed. The objective of this study was to develop a teaching and learning model for imaging informatics. METHODS: Quantitative and qualitative data were collected through a literature review and three structured questionnaires. Results from literature and questionnaires informed the Delphi statements. Three Delphi rounds with medical informatics and higher education experts were completed - all data contributed to developing the teaching and learning model. RESULTS: Literature provided the frame of reference related to regulation and inclusions in the model. Six summated imaging informatics themes with categories that included topics, teaching, learning and assessment as well as project management, and clinical engineering were included in the first Delphi questionnaire. The three-round Delphi resulted in consensus achieved for 142 of the 184 statements and the stability of 37 statements. The model created aligns with the context, goals, content, learning experiences and assessment that lead to holistic student development. CONCLUSION: Feedback from a variety of sources assisted the development of the teaching model for image informatics. The model can be regarded as having a broad scope but also depth since expert refinement strengthened the final inclusions. The flexible, holistic nature of this model addresses not only the educational impediments associated with curriculum development but additionally catalyses a pragmatic approach to implementation and operationalisation thereof. IMPLICATIONS FOR PRACTICE: The developed teaching and learning model could serve to improve the training of radiographers and IT specialists to become certified imaging informatics professionals. This model may be incorporated to assist the integration of all systems - to improve quality and service.

Supporting Clinical Informatics Competency Development Among the Clinical Informatics Team at Providence Health Care.

Clinical informatics (CI) competencies are crucial for health care organizations to effectively use information communication technologies (ICTs) and deliver quality care. An interdisciplinary CI team can assist organizations with leveraging ICTs, but may also require support. This case study describes a peer-led knowledge translation project designed, delivered and implemented over two years by members of the CI team at Providence Health Care (PHC). The project included CI competencies assessment of CI team members, followed by tailored education for identified knowledge gaps. The Kirkpatrick evaluation model was used to assess three levels of learning among CI team members, including a satisfaction survey, pre-and post-cognitive retention of the education intervention using a validated tool for informatics specialists, and project partner feedback of CI team performance 12 weeks after education completion. This case study provides evidence-informed guidance on 'how to' implement peer-led, practice-based CI training for CI teams.

Integrating Justice, Equity, Diversity, Inclusion & Indigeneity into an Informatics Curriculum.

In this case study, we present the inclusion of justice, equity, diversity, inclusion, and Indigeneity (JEDI-I) principles into a graduate certificate in clinical informatics. We specifically focus on two assignments that were created for the program: 1) journal club, 2) usability evaluation. We found that there was limited description of JEDI-I principles in journal club articles. New criteria for authentic resource evaluation were somewhat met in the usability evaluation of a sexual health website. Incorporating JEDI-I principles into the assignments supported fulsome conversations about end-user of technology in healthcare. Identifying examples of including JEDI-I would strengthen students' experiences in clinical informatics programs.

Evaluating ChatGPT's Performance in the EU*US eHealth Work Foundational Curriculum Using the HITCOMP Self-Assessment Quiz.

This study investigated the performance of OpenAI's Chat Generative Pre-trained Transformer (ChatGPT) in responding to the EU*US eHealth Work Foundational Curriculum. This curriculum, a collaborative effort between European and U.S. institutions, provides an extensive framework for eHealth learning. The assessment involved 321 questions from the online Health Information Technology Competencies (HITCOMP) self-assessment quiz. Using GPT-3.5 model, the study presented each question three times to assess ChatGPT's consistency. Findings revealed an accuracy of 70.7%, indicating a reasonable grasp of eHealth topics, although performance was uneven across the 21 modules. These results underscore ChatGPT's potential in health information technology education and highlight the need for further model enhancements to fully encompass eHealth competencies.

Preparing Future Pediatric Care Providers with a Clinical Informatics Elective.

BACKGROUND: Clinical informatics (CI) has reshaped how medical information is shared, evaluated, and utilized in health care delivery. The widespread integration of electronic health records (EHRs) mandates proficiency among physicians and practitioners, yet medical trainees face a scarcity of opportunities for CI education. OBJECTIVES: We developed a CI rotation at a tertiary pediatric care center to teach categorical pediatric, pediatric-neurology, and medicine-pediatric residents foundational CI knowledge and applicable EHR skills. METHODS: Created in 2017 and redesigned in 2020, a CI rotation aimed to provide foundational CI knowledge, promote longitudinal learning, and encourage real-world application of CI skills/tools. Led by a team of five physician informaticist faculty, the curriculum offers personalized rotation schedules and individual sessions with faculty for each trainee. Trainees were tasked with completing an informatics project, knowledge assessment, and self-efficacy perception survey before and after rotation. Paired t-test analyses were used to compare pre- and postcurriculum perception survey. RESULTS: Thirty-one residents have completed the elective with their projects contributing to diverse areas such as medical education, division-specific initiatives, documentation improvement, regulatory compliance, and operating plan goals. The mean knowledge assessment percentage score increased from 77% (11.6) to 92% (10.6; p ≤ 0.05). Residents' perception surveys demonstrated improved understanding and confidence across various informatics concepts and tools (p ≤ 0.05). CONCLUSION: Medical trainees are increasingly interested in CI education and find it valuable. Our medical education curriculum was successful at increasing residents' understanding, self-efficacy, and confidence in utilizing CI concepts and EHR tools. Future data are needed to assess the impact such curricula have on graduates' proficiency and efficiency in the use of CI tools in the clinical workplace.

Education in Health Informatics: Perspectives from the Italian Society for Biomedical Informatics (SIBIM).

The evolution of socio-technological habits together with the widespread demand of post-acute and chronic treatments outside hospital boundaries drove the increased demand of medical informatics experts to develop tools for and support healthcare professionals. The recent COVID-19 pandemic further highlighted the need of physicians able to manage diseases virtually and remotely. Moreover, healthcare professionals need to access to innovative techniques and procedures to manage biomedical data, cloud-based communication, and data sharing procedures, often connected to innovative devices to support an effective precision in the health treatments. In this paper we report the experiences of the Italian Biomedical Informatics Society (SIBIM), in the definition and promotion of eHealth educational topics in medical and health professions teaching programs, as well as in bioengineering schools, showing how SIBIM members' efforts have been applied towards increasing the level of eHealth contents in medical schools.

[Development of competencies in the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII)-educational offers for a competent and secure handling of medical data]. / Kompetenzentwicklung in der Medizininformatik-Initiative (MII) ­ Lehrangebote für einen souveränen und sicheren Umgang mit medizinischen Daten.

In order to achieve the goals of the Medical Informatics Initiative (MII), staff with skills in the field of medical informatics and data science are required. Each consortium has established training activities. Further, cross-consortium activities have emerged. This article describes the concepts, implemented programs, and experiences in the consortia. Fifty-one new professorships have been established and 10 new study programs have been created: 1 bachelor's degree and 6 consecutive and 3 part-time master's degree programs. Further, learning and training opportunities can be used by all MII partners. Certification and recognition opportunities have been created.The educational offers are aimed at target groups with a background in computer science, medicine, nursing, bioinformatics, biology, natural science, and data science. Additional qualifications for physicians in computer science and computer scientists in medicine seem to be particularly important. They can lead to higher quality in software development and better support for treatment processes by application systems.Digital learning methods were important in all consortia. They offer flexibility for cross-location and interprofessional training. This enables learning at an individual pace and an exchange between professional groups.The success of the MII depends largely on society's acceptance of the multiple use of medical data in both healthcare and research. The information required for this is provided by the MII's public relations work. There is also an enormous need in society for medical and digital literacy.

Understanding IT in Healthcare: Relevance and Training Needs of IT in Private Medical Practice.

BACKGROUND: The integration of Information Technology (IT) into private medical practice is crucial in modern healthcare. Physicians managing office-related IT without proper knowledge risk operational inefficiencies and security. OBJECTIVES: This study determines the relevance of specific IT topics in medical practice and identifies the training needs of physicians for enhancing IT competencies in healthcare. METHODS: In March 2023 a cross-sectional online survey was conducted with physicians comprising nine IT-related topics in Tyrol, Austria. RESULTS: The survey results highlighted a strong perceived relevance and high demand for IT education among physicians working in their medical practice, especially in areas of core medical IT and security. The majority of responses indicated high relevance (76.7%) and high demand (69.7%) for IT topics in medical practice. CONCLUSION: The findings underscore a significant need for targeted IT training and support in medical practices, particularly in areas related to the medical practice and security. Addressing these needs could lead to improved healthcare delivery and better management of technological resources in the healthcare sector.

Discovering the importance of health informatics education competencies in healthcare practice. A focus group interview.

BACKGROUND: As healthcare and especially health technology evolve rapidly, new challenges require healthcare professionals to take on new roles. Consequently, the demand for health informatics competencies is increasing, and achieving these competencies using frameworks, such as Technology Informatics Guiding Reform (TIGER), is crucial for future healthcare. AIM: The study examines essential health informatics and educational competencies and health informatics challenges based on TIGER Core Competency Areas. Rather than examine each country independently, the focus is on uncovering commonalities and shared experiences across diverse contexts. METHODS: Six focus group interviews were conducted with twenty-one respondents from three different countries (Germany (n = 7), Portugal (n = 6), and Finland (n = 8)). These interviews took place online in respondents' native languages. All interviews were transcribed and then summarized by each country. Braun and Clarke's thematic analysis framework was applied, which included familiarization with the data, generating initial subcategories, identifying, and refining themes, and conducting a final analysis to uncover patterns within the data. RESULTS: Agreed upon by all three countries, competencies in project management, communication, application in direct patient care, digital literacy, ethics in health IT, education, and information and knowledge management were identified as challenges in healthcare. Competencies such as communication, information and communication technology, project management, and education were identified as crucial for inclusion in educational programs, emphasizing their critical role in healthcare education. CONCLUSIONS: Despite working with digital tools daily, there is an urgent need to include health informatics competencies in the education of healthcare professionals. Competencies related to application in direct patient care, IT-background knowledge, IT-supported and IT-related management are critical in educational and professional settings are seen as challenging but critical in healthcare.

Perspectives on the implementation of health informatics curricula frameworks.

BACKGROUND: The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the necessity of equipping health professionals with knowledge and skills to effectively use digital technology for healthcare delivery. However, questions persist about the best approach to effectively educate future health professionals for this. A workshop at the 15th Nursing Informatics International Congress explored this issue. OBJECTIVE: To report findings from an international participatory workshop exploring pre-registration informatics implementation experiences. METHODS: A virtual workshop was held using whole and small group interactive methods aiming to 1) showcase international examples of incorporating health informatics into pre-registration education; 2) highlight essential elements and considerations for integrating health informatics into curricula; 3) identify integration models of health informatics; 4) identify core learning objectives, resources, and faculty capabilities for teaching informatics; and 5) propose curriculum evaluation strategies. The facilitators' recorded data and written notes were content analysed. RESULTS: Fourteen participants represented seven countries and a range of educational experiences. Four themes emerged: 1) Design: scaffolding digital health and technology capabilities; 2) Development: interprofessional experience of and engagement with digital health technology capabilities; 3) implementation strategies; and 4) Evaluation: multifaceted, multi-stakeholder evaluation of curricula. These themes were used to propose an implementation framework. DISCUSSION: Workshop findings emphasise global challenges in integrating health informatics into curricula. While course development approaches may appear linear, the learner-centred implementation framework based on workshop findings, advocates for a more cyclical approach. Iterative evaluation involving stakeholders, such as health services, will ensure that health professional education is progressive and innovative. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed implementation framework serves as a roadmap for successful health informatics implementation into health professional curricula. Prioritising engagement with health services and digital health industry is essential to ensure the relevance of implemented informatics curricula for the future workforce, acknowledging the variability in placement experiences and their influence on informatics exposure, experience, and learning.