What is Health Care informatics?

One of the great health care challenges of the 21st century is managing the overload of data and information. "Health Informatics is the knowledge, skills and tools which enable information to be collected, managed, used and shared to support delivery of healthcare and to promote health." (definition: NHS http://www.informatics.nhs.uk)

Who uses Health Care Informatics, and why?

Health care practitioners, administrators, and even consumers that have access to the internet and its masses of health information are potential users of health informatics. For example,

• practitioners use health care informatics to consult a database to learn more about potential drug interactions, to convene an online support group, or to analyze digitized brain imagery;
• health administrators use informatics for design and usage of computerized medical records systems, decision support systems, security, confidentiality and privacy systems;
• the public interacts with health care informatics to seek a new health care practitioner to consult, or to search online information for a diet to combat metabolic syndrome; and
• researchers and faculty use informatics to provide distance learning for professional development in health care fields, for the prediction of infectious disease outbreaks, and to practice performing medical procedures virtually in three dimensional environments and on human simulation models.

How will the Health Informatics focus-courses complement the Informatics Certificate?

The Waldron College will provide two, three credit-hour courses in health care informatics. With these courses students studying for a certificate in informatics will be able to specialize in health care information systems. These courses will culminate in projects in which a student may get involved in the informatics capabilities of the Waldron College or other health care facilities to develop applications that relate to individual interests. Examples of projects include research on use of human simulators for early clinical experiences of nurses, investigations on patient compliance when interacting with online resources, or analyzing database applications and decision support systems that impact patient care.

How will a Certificate in Informatics (Health Care Informatics specialization) benefit my career?

It is fair to say that all health care practitioners will be users of health care informatics now or in the future. If an office is currently using digital records for their patients, they can now do searches for complex mixes of information such as a check to insure that all patients diagnosed with diabetes have had a recommended ophthalmologic consult in the last 6 months. In another case, an EMT or emergency nurse might like to consult a national health record database when an unresponsive and bleeding patient comes in. Pertinent questions that this database might answer are: Is this patient taking Coumadin®? Does this patient have an infectious disease such as hepatitis? Has this patent had a recent blood transfusion? All health care professionals could benefit from a certificate in health care informatics to enhance their growing understanding and usage of computers in health care. In addition, there are health care workers that concentrate on the design, and application of informatics. These include executive nurses and social workers, all types of health care educators, and health care policy specialists.

For additional information regarding the Informatics Certificate (Health Care Informatics), contact:

Dr. Raymond Linville, Dean
Radford University, Waldron College of Health & Human Services
Phone:  540-831-7600    E-mail: rlinvill@radford.edu