Health Informatics

You will study six core modules and two elective modules. All modules are delivered through a combination of lectures, online activities and interactive workshops and tutorials. These include sessions delivered by guest lecturers from industry. Students also undertake an independent research project.

Clinical Records

• Demonstrate a systemic knowledge and understanding of the major practical issues associated with the capture and exchange of clinical data in medicine
• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the available techniques and technologies in relation to electronic patients' records
• Critically appreciate and evaluate the role standard, coding and terminologies in electronic patients' record
• Utilise a broad range of standards and techniques covered in the module and apply them to the specific clinical patients' record systems.

Data Analysis with Healthcare

• Interpret the results of a statistical hypothesis test
• Summarise and tabulate healthcare data and display it graphically self-evaluate their understanding of each topic in relation to that of rest of class
• Undertake analysis of any data and solve basic problems independently use a standard statistical package with increased understanding of the output use appropriate statistical and related methods in the analysis of healthcare data

Information for Decisions in Healthcare

• Demonstrate in a systematic and systemic manner the role of information and informatics in supporting healthcare delivery
• Demonstrate a comprehensive knowledge of the role of information in relation to the decision making process in healthcare
• Understand critically the role of formal methods to support the decision making process and the relative merits of alternative models
• Understand, critically, the role of formal methods to support evaluation and decision making in complex settings use formal models to support the processes of clinical decision making
• Demonstrate an approach to the use of models to support the decision making process which is informed, professional, considered and ethically sound

Knowledge Management in Healthcare

• Understand and fully appreciate the importance of knowledge representation
• Critically examine the success and failure of health related applications
• Demonstrate the ability to apply suitable tools from the module to appropriate health related problems
• Demonstrate the ability to examine a health related problem and formulate a solution using the modern knowledge management tools presented in the module
• Demonstrate an approach to the use of modern knowledge management tools that is informed, professional, considered and ethically sound

Research, Methods and Professional Issues

• Acquire and develop skills for planning and carrying out independent, original research (which you will later apply when completing your Masters dissertation)
• Be able to use appropriate quantitative and qualitative techniques for data collection and analysis
• Learn how to find, interpret, and use existing academic research as a basis for your research activity
• Explore the legal, ethical and professional implications of applied work in the information and computer sciences and use this knowledge in your research.

Telemedicine

• Demonstrate a detailed understanding of the conceptual basis of telemedicine and its role in decision making, improving delivery of patient care and in education, in medicine and healthcare
• Understand the role of Telemedicine in: - distributed care - the support services (laboratory medicine and imaging services)
• Demonstrate a comprehensive understanding of the technical issues and parameters relating to Telemedicine
• Demonstrate a practical knowledge of the functioning of a variety of e-health and wireless technology, based around Telemedicine systems
• Demonstrate the importance of telecommunication and imaging standards in Telemedicine

Choose from 2 options from the following:

Databases

• Identify the key issues relating to the management of relational database systems and object-oriented database systems
• Model the logical structure of database systems using different data models
• Analyse data and document structures using different models
• Create and query relational databases using SQL
• Evaluate the new developments in data and document handling systems and understand their practical applications and implications.

Information Architecture

• Web analytics
• Search, metadata and users' information-seeking behaviour
• Website organization and navigation schemes
• Key design documents in the IA process
• Knowledge of content management and e-commerce systems
• Introduction to system specification
• Introduction to databases.

Project Management

• Demonstrate understanding of the key issues relating to IT project management, including estimating, scheduling, resourcing, monitoring and controlling progress, quality control and risk management
• Discuss the wider context of change management and the organizational framework.

Programming with Java

• Create object oriented models of some aspect of the real world with a spatial context
• Break down a problem into logical steps (an algorithm)
• Interpret an existing Java program of moderate complexity by identifying its structure, state and behaviour
• Convert algorithms and object-oriented models into clear, well documented Java; develop and share Java code as part of a team.

• Demonstrate detailed understanding of the importance of usability and the consequences of poor usability for interactive systems
• Identify the theoretical foundations in cognitive psychology for human-computer interaction
• Critically evaluate a user-centred design process for interactive systems, including analysis, design and evaluation activities
• Understand and interpret HCI principles and guidelines, applying them to a variety of situations.

Read the full programme specification