Health Informatics

About the Department

Department of Health Informatics started to offer courses and enroll students since 2020. Initially the department was offering an undergraduate program of Generic Health Informatics and now planned to provide post basic health informatics program.

Ethiopia, with the aim of digitization and information revolution, Health Sector Transformation Plan and Sustainable Development Goal, several interventions, including the implementation of new systems like DHIS-2 to handle data and promote evidence-based decision making, and advocacy of Performance Monitoring Teams in HCs, hospitals, and in tertiary hospitals have been carried out across the different levels of the health system. This revolution in health sector demands specially trained health informatics professionals to function as Health Informatics practitioners. However; across the country, there is scarcity of human resource in the field to effectively manage the task and trans form the health care. Improving pre-service education is likely to be more sustainable than in-service training and will eventually reduce the need for in-service training activities. Therefore, strengthening the health informatics component in the pre-service education of healthcare providers is of paramount importance.

Mission

To produce competent professional Health Informatics who are able to provide culturally sensitive high quality comprehensive neonatal care at all levels of health care system to reduce neonatal morbidity and mortality.

Department Facilities

The Department of Health Informatics offers courses in classrooms that it shares with other departments of the College of Medical and health sciences. Furthermore, the Department has a on progress to establish computer laboratory for practical courses such as Networking and programing and digital health Applied health informatics undertaking. It is planning to further expand the laboratory to integrate computer and health informatics practice and a teaching laboratory.

Department Administration

The Department Head is selected from among the teaching staff of the department on the basis of merit and interest as soon as the college announces the vacancy for the post. The term of office of the Department Head is two years. Currently, Mr. Ismael Adem is serving as Head of the Department.

Contact Address:

Email:

Mobile: +251-993-451-364

P.O. Box: 132, Semera, Afar, Ethiopia.

Bachelor Programs

Core Competencies of Graduates

After critical review of existing local and international documents on learning outcomes, the core (essential) competencies for Bachelors level health informatics students must demonstrate at the point of graduation are defined. The core competencies are organized in

Competency domains-Eight domains or thematic areas:

1. Social, Epidemiologic and Cultural context of Health and Health systems
2. Health System and health program
3. eHealth and Information Communication technology
4. Professional, ethical & legal practices in Health Informatics
5. Communication and Collaboration
6. Management and leadership
7. Data management, Evidence based practice and Research
8. Education and Professional development

Domain 1: Social, epidemiological, and Cultural context of Health and Health systems

• Identify socio cultural determinants of health
• Apply principles of community-based primary care using health promotion, disease prevention and control strategies
• Analyze, interpret and use of health-related indicators
• Demonstrate appropriate communication skills across these competencies

Domain 2: Health System and health program

• Apply the different programs in the health system
• Perform the different health system operations
• Apply public health principles and concepts
• Conduct health program monitoring and evaluation

Domain 3: eHealth and Information Communication technology

• Plan, develop and implement different eHealth Applications
• Plan, design, implement and manage computer networks
• Develop and administer database
• Provide technical support (maintenance, backup, restore, operating system)
• Manage computer and network security
• Identify, evaluate and introduce new electronic applications and tools
• Identify basic biomedical instruments
• Identify and select appropriate system development methods and approaches
• Identify and model user requirements
• Perform system analysis and design
• Perform software coding and testing
• Software support and maintenance
• Provide trainings to end users
• Apply different national eHealth policies and strategies
• Apply different international interoperability standards
• Implement eHealth architecture and standards in the eHealth architecture
• Use the national eHealth governance
• Identify procedural terminology and coding
• Identify disease classification
• Use health terminologies
• Undertake disease coding

Domain 4: Professional, ethical & legal practices in Health Informatics

• Practice health professional ethical principles
• Ensure data security, privacy and confidentiality
• Apply health data access and dissemination policy of the country

Domain 5: Communication and Collaboration

• Communicate and present information effectively
• Prepare reports and disseminate to the different stakeholders.
• Practice team work and collaboration with different actors in the health system

Domain 6: Management and leadership

Graduates are competent in management and leadership when they are able to:

• Participates in the formulation of policy guidelines on health informatics domains
• Interrogates and interprets policy guidelines for health information systems
• Applies policy guidelines for health information systems
• Manage care and all resources (physical and human) for specialized health informatics effectively and efficiently
• Implement health policies and strategies
• Apply resource management principles
• Implement basic leadership principles
• Apply leadership, critical thinking and problem-solving skills

Domain 7: Data management, Evidence based practice and Research

Graduates are competent in data management, evidence-based practice and research when they are able to:

• Use health data recording and reporting tools to collect and organize health data
• Analyze data from different sources
• Organize health records and documents for easy retrieval and archival
• Create dashboards to visualize health data in different forms
• Perform different reporting and dissemination of health information
• Maintain data quality standards
• Use data quality assessment techniques
• Use standard tools to identify information needs of health professionals and managers at all levels in the health system
• Provide information based on identified needs to influence data use culture
• Use different tools and approaches for linking information to action and decision making
• Use statistical tools to transform data into information
• Triangulate data from different sources
• Present and disseminate evidence in different forms
• Synthesize evidence from data
• Conduct research

Domain 8: Education and promoting Professional development

Graduates are competent in health informatics education when they are able to

• Assess and evaluate student performance in the health informatics domains
• Involve in health informatics curriculum design and development
• Participate in continuous professional development activities
• Conducts in-service education of community health extension workers, and other health care providers
• Serve as a mentor and preceptor for health informatics and/ or other related health care providers
• Provide training on information use
• Practice pedagogical principles and concepts
• Provide trainings and mentorship in the area of health information systems

Teaching approaches and delivery strategies

The design and development of this competency (outcomes)-based curriculum followed the following key steps:

1. Formulation of graduate profile /core competencies which are directly linked to the key occupational tasks and are integrated cluster of domain-specific and generic competencies.
2. Elaborating competency descriptions: the core competencies were elaborated in terms of description of the competency, the outcome of the behavior that requires the competency.
3. Knowledge and skills (contents) linked to the core competencies were listed
4. Cluster existing contents into modules: integrates contents of related nature into an organized and structured unified whole (Module) to offer complete and blended knowledge, skills and values to learners that are transferable into practical work life.

Teaching and learning methods

Selection of appropriate teaching and learning methods is of critical importance in a competency or outcomes-based curriculum. In selection of the teaching and learning methods, the following considerations were made and faculty should keep in mind these features in appraising and revising teaching and learning methods during implementation of the curriculum:

• The selected methods are closely aligned with the intended learning outcomes across the three learning domains (knowledge, skills and attitude) and the expected level of performance by the learner thereby maximizing the chances that learners will master the required knowledge, skills and attitude.
• Learner focused. In terms of learning, the activities of the learner are the ones that ultimately determine the likelihood of competency development. Methods that emphasize learner activities are selected to this end.
• One size does not fit all. What might be considered as the best teaching and learning method for a certain learning outcome may not be so for another learning outcome. In addition, using different methods is likely to stimulate and motivate learners. Hence, a variety of teaching and learning methods are suggested to be used in the curriculum.
• Where possible, methods that encourage collaboration and cooperation among learners are proposed.

The major teaching and learning methods suggested to be used in the implementation of the curriculum are described below when and where.

Interactive lecture

Lecture is an efficient way to integrate and present information from multiple sources on complex topics. Additional advantage of lectures is that it gives students a chance to follow and model the way an expert think, reasons and asks questions. Lecture is appropriate for teaching knowledge objectives. Lectures can be made interactive by enhancing them with engagement of learners mentally and physically using questions, brainstorming, discussion, think-pair-share, debate, role play, case study, providing opportunities for reading, talking, listening, writing and reflecting, and other learner activities

Problem-based learning (PBL)

PBL is a method of learning in which learners first encounter a problem followed by a systematic, learner-centered inquiry and reflection process. As applied to education for the health professions, PBL is a method designed to help students learn the sciences basic to health informatics at the same time they develop the reasoning process used by health informatics and other health professionals in their practice. The problem comes first without advance readings, lectures, or preparation and the problem serves as a stimulus for the need to know. Problem-based learning is designed to develop integrated, context-specific knowledge base; decision-making/critical thinking process and skills; self-directed, life-long learning skills; interpersonal, collaboration, and communication skills; constructive self and peer assessment skills; professional ethics and behavior. PBL is suggested to be used throughout the first two years of the training.

Role play

In a role play, learners play out different roles or parts-such as of system user and developer-in a simulated situation. Role play addresses knowledge, skills and attitude objectives. Role plays promote learning through behavior modeling, observation, feedback, analysis and conceptualization. They are also often useful for exploring, discussing and influencing behaviors and attitudes of learners, as well as for helping.

Admission requirement

Candidates must full fill the following criteria:

• Be a natural science student in secondary school & preparatory classes
• Meet the set criteria of the Ministry of Education for degree students to join higher learning institution
• Preferably, those who choose to enter the profession

Graduation Requirement

• A student cannot graduate with a grade of less than 2.0 out of the 4-scale grading system. Therefore, he/she should at least score a minimum of C grade for the major/Professional course.
• A student with ‘C-‘can pass to the next semester if it is first semester period and it increases with level/year of students. A student with a good stand can graduate if he/she scores ‘C-‘in none professional course under the module. However, if the ‘C-‘grade is for a Module or for a course as a module, he/she must re-sit for another exam to remove ‘C-
• A student with all ‘Ds’ cannot pass to the next semester. A student with a good stand can pass to the next semester and even can graduate if he/she scores D in none professional/major course the under. However, if the ‘D’ grade is for a Module or for a course as a module, he/she must re-sit for another exam to remove ‘D’.
• A student with F must repeat the course/module for two times and the grade will be any of what a student can score
• The students should complete the skills and activities written in the logbook which annexed at the end curriculum.

Duration of the study

Regular students are accepted directly after passing higher education entrance examination, the total duration of the study will be four years. For other groups of studies (extension, summer, upgrading), the duration will be determined up on the specific curriculum design based on the program requirements.

Medium of Instruction

The medium of instruction for the program is English.

Mode of delivery

Year-based, mixed, parallel, semester and block mode of delivery will be applied according to the nature of the courses.

Grading system

Each course/modules have their own assessment methods along with test weight. Letter grades shall be given based on the points earned out of 100. The letter grading system has a fixed scale as described in the table below.

Quality improvement

Quality assurance will be guided by educational standards and benchmarks, World Federation of Medical Education and the Higher Education Relevance and Quality Agency. The ongoing quality of the education will be monitored and ensured through:

• Establishment of a curriculum committee under the HSEDC (IQA) office to oversee the implementation of the curriculum;
• Self-review of the educational inputs, processes and outputs (including human resources physical infrastructure, teaching/learning in classroom, skills lab, and community settings, student assessment, management and governance and student performance results) semi-annually and taking action. This will be coordinated by the quality assurance committee or team;
• Organizing regular faculty development and support programs on instructional methods, technical updates, research, leadership, etc. This will be coordinated by the faculty development committee or team.

Degree Nomenclature

Upon successful completion of the program, the degree of

“BACHELOR OF SCIENCE (B.Sc.) DEGREE IN HEALTH INFORMATICS” will be awarded.

In Amharic “የሳይንስ ባችለር ዲግሪ በጤና ኢንፎርማቲክስ”

Course Breakup-Semester wise – Health Informatics