Skip to main content
NCBI home page
Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique logoLink to Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique
. 2001 May 1;92(3):233–236. doi: 10.1007/BF03404313

Health Informatics Education: An Opportunity for Public Health in Canada

David L Buckeridge 117,317,✉, Vivek Goel 217
PMCID: PMC6979982  PMID: 11496638

Abstract

Health information infrastructure is being developed across Canada, and health informatics education should be a component of the emerging infrastructure. However, educational opportunities do not appear to be developing in pace with infrastructure. This study characterizes the required education, and describes specific issues facing the development of health informatics education. Twenty-six key informants were interviewed, and responses were analyzed to identify major themes. Subjects agreed that the current capacity for health informatics education is inadequate. Also, limited expertise could adversely affect health infostructure implementation and health system performance. A need was identified for both advanced and basic education. Four issues facing the development of health informatics education in Canada were consistently identified: awareness, collaboration, funding, and human resources. Public health is well positioned to play a central role in health informatics education due to its historical basis in handling health information, and its developing expertise in health informatics applications.

References

  • 1.The Centre for Health EconomicsPolicy Analysis. Heath Information Technologies in Canada. Ottawa: Health Canada, The Office of Health and the Information Highway. 1997. [Google Scholar]
  • 2.Office of National Health Surveillance. Proposal to Develop a Network for Health Surveillance in Canada. Ottawa: Health Canada; 1999. [Google Scholar]
  • 3.Health Services Restructuring Commission. Ontario Health Information Management Action Plan — The Top Priority for Building A Better Health System. Toronto, Canada: Health Services Restructuring Commission; 1999. [Google Scholar]
  • 4.Canadian Institute for Health Information. Roadmap Initiative…Launching the Process. Ottawa: Canadian Institute for Health Information; 1999. [Google Scholar]
  • 5.Shortliffe E, Perreault L, Wiederhold G, Fagan L Eds. Medical Informatics: Computer Applications in Health Care and Biomedicine. New York: Springer-Verlag; 2000. [Google Scholar]
  • 6.Shortliffe EH. Medical informatics meets medical education. JAMA. 1995;273(13):1061. doi: 10.1001/jama.273.13.1061. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 7.Cameron S. Toward a national curriculum in informatics. Can Fam Phys. 1998;44:2044–46. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 8.Carlile S, Sefton AJ. Healthcare and the information age: Implications for medical education. Med J Australia. 1998;168(7):340–43. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1998.tb138963.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 9.Grant AM, Tremblay K. The need for a coherent curriculum and supported infrastructure in health informatics education—the HEALNet experience. Health Evidence Application and Linkage Network. Int J Med Informatics. 1998;50(1–3):165–70. doi: 10.1016/S1386-5056(98)00064-1. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 10.Corn M. Getting to the core of medical informatics training. MD Computing. 1999;162:25–27. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 11.Anonymous. Contemporary issues in medicine— medical informatics and population health: Report II of the Medical School Objectives Project. Academic Medicine. 1999;74(2):130–41. doi: 10.1097/00001888-199902000-00012. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 12.Haux R. Recommendations of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) on Education in Health and Medical Informatics. Heidelberg: International Medical Informatics Association; 1999. [Google Scholar]
  • 13.Lehoux P, Battista RN, Lance J-M. Telehealth: Passing fad or lasting benefits. Can J Public Health. 2000;9(4):277–80. doi: 10.1007/BF03404289. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 14.Canadian Health Network: Information you can trust. The Canadian Health Network. Available: www.canadian-health-network.ca/customtools/homee.html (Accessed November 9, 2000).
  • 15.The Motherisk Website. Hospital for Sick Children. Available: www.motherisk.org/ (Accessed November 9, 2000).
  • 16.$500 Million for Health Information and Communication Technology. First Minister's Meeting. Available: www.pco-bcp.gc.ca/aia/eng-lish/viewdoc.asp?url=/aia/docs/english/resource/conferences/20000909.htm#$500 Million for Health Information and Communication Technology (Accessed November 9, 2000).
  • 17.Protti DJ. The status of medical informatics in Canadian medical schools. Methods of Information in Medicine. 1989;28(4):223–26. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 18.Jennett PA, Edworthy SM, Rosenal TW, et al. Preparing doctors for tomorrow: Information management as a theme in undergraduate medical education. Medical Education. 1991;25(2):135–39. doi: 10.1111/j.1365-2923.1991.tb00039.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 19.Moehr JR. Teaching medical informatics: Teaching on the seams of disciplines, cultures, traditions. Methods of Information in Medicine. 1989;28(4):273–80. doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1636809. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 20.Hebert M. Developing a Distributed Experiential Learning Program In Evidence-based Practice for Health Professionals: Learning Needs Assessment. Calgary: Health Informatics Research; 1999. [Google Scholar]
  • 21.Strauss A, Corbin J. Basics of Qualitative Research. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage; 1998. [Google Scholar]
  • 22.Greenes RA, Shortliffe EH. Medical informatics. An emerging academic discipline and institutional priority. JAMA. 1990;263(8):1114–20. doi: 10.1001/jama.1990.03440080092030. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 23.Haux R, Leven FJ, Moehr JR, Protti DJ. Health and medical informatics education. Methods of Information in Medicine. 1994;33(3):246–49. doi: 10.1055/s-0038-1635023. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 24.Haux R, Hasman A, Leven FJ, et al. Education and training in medical informatics. In: van Bemmel JH, Musen MA, et al., editors. Handbook of Medical Informatics. Heidelberg: Springer-Verlag; 1997. [Google Scholar]
  • 25.Frisse ME. Re-imagining the medical informatics curriculum. Academic Medicine. 1997;72(1):36–41. [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 26.Coiera E. Medical informatics meets medical education. Med J Australia. 1998;168(7):319–20. doi: 10.5694/j.1326-5377.1998.tb138958.x. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 27.Geppert C, Littlefield J, Creek T. Orienting new students to information technology. Academic Medicine. 1998;73(1):3. doi: 10.1097/00001888-199801000-00003. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 28.Ghali WA, Lesky LG, Hershman WY. The missing curriculum. Academic Medicine. 1998;73(7):734–36. doi: 10.1097/00001888-199807000-00006. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 29.Wong ET, Abendroth TW. Reaping the benefits of medical information systems. Academic Medicine. 1996;71(4):353–57. doi: 10.1097/00001888-199604000-00010. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 30.Collen MF. Origins of medical informatics. Western J Medicine. 1986;145(6):778–85. [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 31.Braude RM. A descriptive analysis of National Library of Medicine-funded medical informatics training programs and the career choices of their graduates. Medical Decision Making. 1991;11(1):33–37. doi: 10.1177/0272989X9101100105. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 32.Leggat SG, Narine L, Lemieux-Charles L, et al. A review of organizational performance assessment in health care. Health Services Management. 1998;11:3–23. doi: 10.1177/095148489801100102. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 33.Rogers EM. Diffusion of Innovations. New York: Free Press; 1983. [Google Scholar]
  • 34.Goodman RM, Steckler A, Kegler MC. Mobilising organizations for health enhancement: Theories of organisational change. In: Glanz K, editor. Health Behaviour and Health Education: Theory, Research and Practice. San Francisco, CA: Jossey-Bass; 1997. [Google Scholar]
  • 35.Thacker SB. Historical development. In: Teutsch SM, Churchill RE, editors. Principles and Practice of Public Health Surveillance. New York: Oxford; 2000. pp. 1–16. [Google Scholar]
  • 36.Skinner H, Morrison M, Bercovitz K, et al. Using the Internet to engage youth in health promotion. Int J Health Promotion and Education. 1997;4(4):23–25. doi: 10.1177/102538239700400411. [DOI] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 37.TeenNet: Engaging Teens in Health Promotion Using Information Technology. TeenNet. Available: http://www.teennetproject.org/ (Accessed November 9, 2000).
  • 38.Pope C, Mays N. Reaching the parts other methods cannot reach: An introduction to qualitative methods in health and health services research. Br Med J. 1995;311:42–45. doi: 10.1136/bmj.311.6996.42. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]
  • 39.Pope C, Mays N. Rigour and qualitative research. Br Med J. 1995;311:109–12. doi: 10.1136/bmj.311.6996.42. [DOI] [PMC free article] [PubMed] [Google Scholar]

Articles from Canadian Journal of Public Health = Revue Canadienne de Santé Publique are provided here courtesy of Springer

RESOURCES