College of Health Sciences Health Informatics and …John-Health Informatics and...1) Guide to Health Informatics Second Edition, Enrico Coiera, Hodder Arnold, 2003 2) Health Informatics:

College of Health Sciences Health Informatics and Management

Course Number 32.531.031

Course Title Health Informatics

Credits 3

Semester/Time Online

Faculty John Poikonen

Chat Session Hours Thursday 6:30pm-8:00pm

Office Pinanski Hall

Phone/Email via Blackboard Mail / [email protected]

978-934-6628

Course Description A graduate-level course introducing healthcare professionals to the principles and use of

information and communication systems. The student will gain an understanding of the

challenges for a Healthcare Informatics professional to analyze and deliver usable and

accurate systems and solutions.

The objective of the course is to give healthcare professionals a foundational and practical

understanding of health informatics in the fast evolving discipline of health informatics. The

student should gain a solid understanding of the fundamentals of health informatics so as to

maximize the use of information and systems in the delivery of efficient, high quality health

care.

Teaching Methods Each week of this course begins on a Monday and ends on a Sunday. The course calendar

at the end of this syllabus provides additional details with regards to the course schedule,

assignments, readings and supplemental material.

Although we are online, this is a very structured class. You will need to stay self- motivated

and participatory throughout the entire semester.

Textbooks: 1) Guide to Health Informatics Second Edition, Enrico Coiera, Hodder Arnold, 2003

2) Health Informatics: Practical Guide For Healthcare And Information Technology

Professionals Robert E Hoyt (Editor), Nora Bailey (Editor), Ann Yoshihashi (Online

edition) http://informaticseducation.org/

mailto:[email protected]

http://informaticseducation.org/

Health Informatics Course Syllabus Spring 2014

John Poikonen, Pharm.D.

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Lecture Notes Each week lecture notes will be posted to the week’s session home page. You are required

to read the notes and related links as it relates to the weeks topics. Links may include

other articles and videos to view.

Discussion Board: Discussion Board participation is the principal mode of communication used. Each folder

(week) has its own discussion board.

A note on nomenclature: The discussion board is the tool in Blackboard (Bb), our

learning management system, we are using in the course for asynchronous

interaction. A discussion forum is an individual topic. So we may have multiple

forums with in each week’s discussion board.

Blogs The "blog of the week" is a required element of the course. They will be posted in the

Blackboard Blog section. As leaders in informatics you need to apply and relate what is

learned. Explaining the application of informatics in a first person story is part of this

application of learning. You select the blog topic that best fits your care setting or

experience. The posts can be speculative or factual on the application of the technology or

processes that we are studying. You will be required to enter a total of 7 blog posts

(averaging every other week), related to the course subjects applied to a care process,

observation, patient or provider experience familiar to you or speculated on.

Blog Comments Blog comments are encouraged to keep an open and ongoing dialog in the class. Blog

comments will not be specifically graded on an individual basis. Extra credit is given to a

sustained effort of commenting and understanding of your fellow student’s blog posts.

Class Wiki It is critical that we all keep up to date on these ever evolving subjects in healthcare

informatics. There are volumes of sites and information to keep up to date on healthcare

information systems. You may have expertise in specific areas that you can share

particularly good information to the class. You will be expected to post at least 10 updates

over the semester to the Class’s Wiki site on Blackboard. Pages on subjects related to the

weeks subjects will put in the Wiki for you to add and edit.

Special Project Report A special project is required as follows. Consider that you are a Healthcare Informaticist.

You have been asked to evaluate the current internal workflow and make a recommendation

regarding the workflow, communications, protocol and architecture required in order to

select a new healthcare information system for a hospital, clinical department or other

provider entity. The project will be a paper (approximately 10 pages) and presentation that

will be suitable for presenting to senior management.

Based on your research, you will prepare a 10-minute Slide presentation that presents your

findings and includes the following:



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1) Situation Analysis. Describe the "real" or hypothetical work environment,

provider objectives and current information systems configuration, as well as any

unmet needs or issues.

2) Workflow Requirements. List or otherwise characterize the key workflows,

protocols, communications, etc., requirements to be met by the new or upgraded

health information system.

3) Architecture Alternatives. Describe and evaluate several workflow alternatives.

Indicate pros, cons and unresolved issues for each alternative. Give special attention

to the effects of each alternative on “human factor”, care pathways and protocols.

4) Provisional Recommendation. Given the admittedly incomplete information

available to you, what would you recommend as next steps? Options include doing

nothing, upgrading the current system, performing more analysis and modeling etc.

Be specific and indicate your rationales for each recommendation.

Students are strongly encouraged to come forward with their own project ideas and then

secure approval. Project topic will be mailed to the instructor via Blackboard. The instructor

can set up time to discuss various options, if needed. This can be also be discussed in the

weekly chat sessions.

Much of the information required for this assignment is available from the Web and industry

trade journals (e.g., Modern Healthcare, Healthcare Informatics, Hospitals & Health

Networks, etc). You may also wish to request product literature from vendors, or obtain it

through your own or another organization. Although not required, you may also wish to

interview one or more individuals with relevant experience and expertise.

Project DeliverablesThe project consists of 2 deliverables:

1) A report to senior management. The report length is to be approximately 10 pages

single spaced. The report will contain:

Sections addressing each of the four topics indicated above;

One or more tables enumerating protocols; pros/cons of each alternative or

unmet needs

One or more graphic representations depicting the model and workflows found in

the work environment.

2) A presentation is a subset of the report and is intended to be as if you are

presenting your findings in 10 minutes (<10 slides) to Senior Management for approval

of the Provisional recommendations.

Anyone using "real" information should "blind" his or her presentation such that institutional

confidentiality is protected.

Students are encouraged to come forward with their own project ideas and then secure

approval. Otherwise, I will work with you to “brainstorm” alternatives. The subject must be

approved, via Blackboard mail, by the end of Week 6, March 3, 2014.

Much or most of the information required for this assignment should be available from the

Web. However, you may also wish to obtain product information through your own or



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another organization. You may also interview one or more individuals with relevant

experience and expertise.

Final Exam Your final exam will be assigned during finals week. You can take your final exam at any

point during that week. Your Special Project is due the week prior to finals.

Participation Requirements This is an on-line course, therefore it will require a different kind of discipline than

traditional lecture courses. Staying up on the week’s readings, discussion topics, blogs, wiki

and comments are requirements. Dedicating time each day with concentrated time on

other days will be required to keep up with all of the assignments.

This is a dynamic and changing field that we all can learn from each other. As health

professionals you may have more information on a given topic than your peers. You are

encouraged to help us all learn through the discussion forums, blogs, blog comments, wiki

and chat sessions.

For each week, you will read one or more chapters from Coiera, Guide to Health

Informatics, the online Hoyt textbook, lecture notes and supplemental readings.

For many of the week's assignments, you will also have one or more additional readings.

These are available as PDF documents or URLs will be provided. These readings are

selected to provide a broader perspective on the topic and students may be asked to

provide their insights/observations on the topics.

Readings and lecture notes are assigned to provide the basis for topics to be discussed that

week. It is expected that all readings and links will be completed and you will be ready to

contribute to the on-line class discussion on the topics.

The discussion board participation must be done by the Sunday of the week’s assignments,

which starts on the prior Monday. That means that reading should be done early in the

week to join the discussion as it develops.

Blog posts are assigned approximately every other week. Blog comments can be done at

any time. Wiki entries can be done throughout the semester.

Deciding on the specific subject matter of your special project in the first half of the course

is required, by March 2, 2014. This will give you enough time to prepare and submit it by

the Sunday April 27, 2014 due date.

The final exam will be a timed single session on-line test that will be automatically graded

by Blackboard.

Communication

Interaction Guidelines – Communication and Participation Online participation is vital for this course to succeed. Much of the learning comes from

applying your experience to the material and interaction with other students. There are five

methods of electronic communication used in this course. They are: email, chat, blog, wiki

and discussion boards.



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Mail: Mail is internal to Blackboard. It is used for personal issues. In most cases, questions

belong on the discussion board, so everyone can benefit from seeing the answer. I will

typically answer mail within 24 hours. The instructor will not respond to external emails

about the course. Address all course related personal items in the Blackboard Mail system

only.

Working tip for posting to Discussion forums, blogs, wikis and comments: We recommend that you draft postings offline in a word processor and then “cut and paste”

your finished work into the posting message facility in Blackboard. This is not a

requirement as Bb does have some editing tools in the posting areas.

Do not attach postings as a WORD or any other document.

Discussion Board: Discussion Board participation is the principal mode of communication used. Each folder

(week) has its own discussion board. You should both post and answer questions, and check

the discussion board regularly. The instructor’s role in the discussion board is to facilitate

and add topics to the discussion based on the week’s material.

The delivery of health care is varied and the information system challenges often have

multiple solutions. Therefore it is common to debate their various pros and cons on the

discussion boards. This give and take is desirable and frequently is how the best solutions

are illuminated.

Blog: You all are working health professionals. Using the blogging feature is a way to internalize

and express the lessons learned based on your practice and environment. Use the blog to

articulate how you might use the week’s subject matter in your work place or draw from

your experience as a patient or caregiver. Not all of the week’s subject matter will be

applicable to your practice, therefore, speculation on topics can be done. You will be graded

on 7 blog entries.

Wiki: Participation in the Wiki is mandatory. One of the text books used in the course is coming

out with a new edition, unfortunately it will be after the course is completed. We will use

the Wiki as a supplement to the course to update material in the text and to provide

additional references around a topic. If you have particular expertise or knowledge you will

use the Wiki to keep the class up to date on the latest developments in the week’s subject.

If you do not have something to add to a topic doing a web search or asking colleagues

about the weeks’ subject matter will help you add relevant information to the Wiki. We do

not want duplicate material in the wiki. This provides a small incentive to post wiki entries

earlier than later. Participation in the Wiki is mandatory, with a minimum of 10 entries.

Blackboard (Bb) Collaborate Chat Sessions: Chat sessions, conducted through Bb Collaborate are the opportunity to have a conversation

with the instructor in real time. You need to become familiar with Blackboard Collaborate

prior to chat sessions.



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Please update your Bb profile with a photo. Using a web cam and audio headset greatly

enhances the communication through this medium. The Chat sessions are not mandatory.

I may have supplemental and additional information for students to better understand the

week’s lessons.

Chat is for live interaction in a group setting. This class will normally schedule chat sessions

Thursday evenings from 6:30 to 8PM EST, and they will be recorded for later reference.

Participation in the chat session is strongly encouraged but not required. A chat session is

intended as a way to drop by and chat about the week’s topic and ask questions.

Please keep subject matter related to the course material for that week or previous

weeks.

When you are talking to someone in particular, enter that person’s name followed

by a colon. For example, if you wanted to ask John Smith a question, you would

enter “John: what do you think about...”

Incidents of profanity or other harassment will not be tolerated, and will result in

being prohibited from using the chat room in the future.

Netiquete Netiquette stands for Network Etiquette. It refers to proper behavior while interacting

online. The golden rule of netiquette is essentially to treat people as you would want to be

treated. Please be polite and considerate. Think about whether your comment could cause

hurt feelings. Be careful about how your words can come across because misunderstandings

can be common online. Feel free to use emoticons to show your tone.

Twitter

The twitter account @UMLInformatics is maintained by the instructor. You are not required

to follow this account. The account will however post ongoing comments on healthcare

information system material that is related to the class. Therefore it may help in your

understanding of the material and what type of emphasis the test questions on the final

exam might hold.

Evernote | https://www.evernote.com/pub/umlinformatics/HI

The URL is used as an open and public posting of relevant healthcare information system

and informatic issues, articles and insights. It is intended as a supplement, not a

requirement, to the course materials. It is also intended as a resource for you after the

conclusion of the class.

Evaluation Methods:

Discussion Board Participation Participation in the week’s discussion board will be graded each week, based on the criteria

below. The discussion posting should be done in the week that the reading and topics are

assigned. For example the week starts on Monday and all discussion board participation for

that week topics and reading must be posted by Sunday evening.

The discussion board grading will be based on the entire weeks participation, not necessarily

on a single post (or topic). The weeks grade is based on original posts and responding to

other students’ posts. The grade is based on the totality of the week’s discussion board

participation.

http://messenger.msn.com/Resource/Emoticons.aspx

https://www.evernote.com/pub/umlinformatics/HI



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9-10 Points: Demonstrates excellence in grasping key concepts; respectful critiques of others works; stimulates discussion; provides sample citations and/or Web links for support of opinions; readily offers new interpretations of discussion material.

Ideas are expressed clearly, concisely; uses appropriate vocabulary. 7-8 Points: Shows evidence of understanding most major concepts; will offer an

occasional respectful divergent viewpoint or challenge; shows some skill in support for opinions. Some signs of disorganization with expression; transition wording may be faulty.

5-6 Points: Has mostly shallow grasp of the material; rarely takes a stand on issues;

offers inadequate levels of support. Poor language use garbles much of the message; only an occasional idea surfaces clearly; expression seems disjointed; overuse of the simple sentence and a redundancy with words and commentary; paragraphs often appear unrelated to each other. This student requires constant prompting for contributions.

1-4 Points: A minimal posting of material. Shows no significant understanding of

material. Language is mostly incoherent. Does not respond readily to prompting.

Make Up Policy for Discussion Board Participation:

Emergencies happen during the week that might prevent you from posting to the

week’s topics and readings. If this happens you must mail the instructor (via

Blackboard mail) as to the circumstance and when postings will be made up. Any

postings made after the week’s assignment will not be graded, unless prior approval

has been made.

Blogs The "blog of the week" is a required element of the course. You will be required to enter a

total of 7 blog posts (averaging every other week), related to the week’s subject applied to

a care process or patient experience familiar to you. There are a total of 7 required blogs (1

every other week). You select the week and topics that best fit your care or experience

setting. For eligible credit each blog posting must be at least 3 grammatically correct,

complete, thoughtful paragraphs on a related subject matter in the course as it applies to a

care or patient process. See the class schedule on the specific due dates.

3 Points: Clear blog post that applies to the week’s topic that shows understanding of the material and can reference or speculate some evidence of success or patient safety.

2 Points: Clear blog post that applies to the week’s topic that shows understanding of the material.

1 Point: Clear blog post that does not apply or show understanding of the material.

Blog Comments Extra credit will be given to students with >10 comments of a relevant, thoughtful or

respectfully critical nature. This means more than commenting on a posting as “nice post”.

See the criteria for Discussion forum postings for the criteria of a relevant blog post

comment. A sustained effort (>10 in the semester) of blog comments posting of a level of

7+ nature (Discussion Group grading) will earn up to 5 points extra credit added to your

final grade.



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Wiki The Wiki will be organized by subject matter from each week’s readings. Updates to the

Wiki can be done at any time during the semester. You will be expected to make at least 10

Wiki updates through the semester on the subject matters. Entries will be graded:

1 Point: The update to the week’s subject matter is relevant, referenced and

summarized.

0.5 Point: The update to the week’s subject is only a relevant reference.

0 Points: The entry is a duplicate of another entry on the subject or the update is not

relevant or not done.

Special Project The Special Project will be graded as S–Satisfactory, U-Unsatisfactory or INC–Incomplete.

The Special Project will be worth 20% of your final grade.

Final Exam Your final exam will be taken online, and will be completely self-grading by Blackboard. That

is, as soon as you submit your exam, your grade will be calculated, however note that you

will not be able to see your grade or your results until after the availability period of the

exam. You will be timed, and must complete the exam in a single seating. That is, you

cannot "pause" the exam, and return to it at a later time. The exam consists of 40

questions, each worth 0.5 points, for a maximum total of 20 points to your final grade. You

will have 1 hour (60 minutes) to complete the exam. If you have to look up every answer in

the book, you will run out of time. The exam will be released on Monday morning,

12/09/2013 and will be due by midnight, Saturday 12/14/2013. Your final exam is

worth 20% of your total grade.

Chat Sessions Chat session are not mandatory and do not contribute to your grade.

Grading Your final course grade will be based on the following:

Requirement % Total

Grade

Discussion Board Participation 30%

Blogs* 20%

Special Project 20%

Wiki Participation 10%

Final Exam 20%

Total: 100%



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Your final course letter grade will be determined as follows:

Requirement Calculated

based on

Score Score Applied

to Numeric Grade

Discussion Board Participation

14 Week Average Score

9-10 30

7-8 25

5-6 20

1-4 10

Blogs * 7 Posts 1-3 per post 0-21

Wiki entries 10 posts scores 0-10 0-10

Special Project Final Paper and Presentation

material

Satisfactory

20

Unsatisfactory 10-19

Incomplete 0-10

Final Exam Final Score of exam

0-20 0-20

(*) Extra Credit: Up to 5 points will be added to final grade for a sustained effort of relevant

blog comment postings. See Evaluation Methods for more detail.

Numeric Grade: Letter Grade:

98-100 A+ (4.0)

94-98 A (4.0)

90-93 A-(3.7)

87-89 B+(3.3)

84-86 B (3.0)

80-83 B-(2.7)

77-79 C+(2.3)

74-76 C (2.0)

0-73 F

http://www.uml.edu/Catalog/Graduate/Policies/Grading-Policies.aspx

Academic Integrity Policy: All students are advised that there is a University policy regarding academic integrity. It is

the students’ responsibility to familiarize themselves with these policies. If necessary,

contact your advisor regarding these policies. For details, see the Academic Integrity Policy

at http://www.uml.edu/Catalog/Graduate/Policies/Academic-Integrity.aspx It is your

responsibility to review and understand this policy.

Student Disability Services: For detailed information contact: Office of the Student Disability Services, 240 O’Leary

Library Building, UMass Lowell South, Ph. 978-934-4574 and http://www.uml.edu/STUDENT-

SERVICES/disability/

http://www.uml.edu/Catalog/Graduate/Policies/Grading-Policies.aspx

http://www.uml.edu/STUDENT-SERVICES/disability/

http://www.uml.edu/STUDENT-SERVICES/disability/



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Services for Learning: For detailed information contact: Division of Student Affairs, Cumnock Hall, UML North. Ph

978-934-2100 (http://www.uml.edu/STUDENT-SERVICES/ )

Credit Hour Policy: Federal definition of a credit hour requires that for every course credit awarded, a course

must offer 15 hours of instructor led course activities and 30 hours of out -of -class student

work.

Health Informatics 32.531 Spring 2014

Instructor: John Poikonen, Pharm.D.

Course Calendar Wk

Week Start/End Date

Coiera Reading Assignment

Hoyt Health Informatics Online Textbook

Supplemental Reading & Assignments

Other Assignments Due

1 Tue

1/21

to

Sun

1/26

Ch. 1: Models Ch. 2: Information

Ch 1: Overview of Health Informatics

Content Curators are the new superstars

Introduction in Discussion Board Discussion Forum Questions and responses

2 Monday 1/27 to

Sunday 2/2

Ch. 3 Information

Systems

Ch 2: Healthcare Data, Information

and Knowledge

Simulated Learning in nursing posts Patient simulation in Second Life The EMR use rule: Open letter to Massachusetts Physicians

Discussion Forum Questions and

responses

3 Monday 2/3 to Sunday 2/9

Ch. 4: Communicating Ch. 5: Structuring

Ch 5: Health Information Exchange

Grice’s Maxim: Do the Right Thing http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gricean_maxims#Grice.27s_Maxims http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ref/grice-final.pdf

1st Blog Post Due Discussion Forum Questions and responses

4 Monday

2/10 to Sunday 2/16

Ch 6:

Questioning Ch. 7: Searching

Ch 13: Online Medical

Resources Ch 14: Search Engines

Abraham Verghese: A doctor's touch Slow Ideas

2nd Blog Post due

Discussion Forum Questions and responses


Ch. 8 Making Decisions

Ch 3: Electronic Health Records

Informatics Competencies for Every Practicing Nurse: Recommendations from the TIGER Collaborative


http://www.uml.edu/STUDENT-SERVICES/



http://www.fastcompany.com/1834177/content-curators-are-new-superheros-web

http://www.fastcompany.com/1834177/content-curators-are-new-superheros-web

http://jsmillerrn.blogspot.com/2012/04/free-virtual-classroom-space-for.html

http://jsmillerrn.blogspot.com/2012/04/free-virtual-classroom-space-for.html

http://youtu.be/LQ1HIg7lcvQ

http://thehealthcareblog.com/blog/2013/05/27/an-open-letter-to-massachusetts-physicians/



http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gricean_maxims#Grice.27s_Maxims



http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ref/grice-final.pdf

http://www.cs.cmu.edu/~ref/grice-final.pdf

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxnlvwprf_c

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sxnlvwprf_c

http://www.newyorker.com/reporting/2013/07/29/130729fa_fact_gawande?printable=true&currentPage=all



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Wk

Week Start/End Date






Ch. 9: Information Management Systems Ch 10: The

Electronic Medical Record

Ch 11: Consumer Health Informatics

Defining and Testing EMR Usability: KLAS Evaluations of Inpatient and Outpatient EMR Usability

3rd Blog Post Due Discussion Forum Questions and responses Special Project Subject Due and

Approved this week


Ch. 11: Designing and Evaluating Information

Systems Ch. 12: Protocols and Evidence-based Healthcare

Ch 8: Health Information Privacy Ch 9: Health

Information Security

AHRQ Health Information Technology Ambulatory Safety and Quality (pdf) The Privacy and Security Gaps in Health Information Exchanges



Ch. 13: Computer based Protocol Systems in Healthcare Ch. 14: Disseminating and Applying Protocols

Ch 15: Evidence Based Medicine and Clinical Practice Guidelines

Meaningful Use Review 10_Steps_to_Securing_the_Federal_EHR_Incentive_Payment_FINAL.pdf

4th Blog post due Discussion Forum Questions and responses

3/17 to 3/23

Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break Spring Break

9 Monday

3/24 to Sunday 3/30

Ch. 15:

Designing Protocols Ch. 16: Terms, codes and classification

Ch 6: Data Standards Viewpoint: Clinical Classification and Terminology: Some History and Current Observations

Discussion Forum

Questions and responses

10

Monday 3/31 to Sunday 4/6

Ch. 17: Healthcare Terminologies and Classification Systems

Ch 18: The Trouble with Coding

Ch 17: Quality Improvement Strategies

Interface Terminologies: Facilitating Direct Entry of Clinical Data into Electronic Health Record Systems


http://healthit.ahrq.gov/sites/default/files/docs/page/findings-and-lessons-from-the-improving-quality-through-clinician-use-of-health-it.pdf




http://www.himss.org/files/HIMSSorg/content/files/201106_AHIMA_HIMSS.pdf





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Wk

Week Start/End Date





11


Ch. 19: Communication System Basics Ch 20: Communication

Technology Ch. 21: Clinical Communication and Telemedicine

Ch16: Disease Management and Registries Ch 20: Telemedicine

Natural Language Processing article


12


Ch. 25: Clinical Decision Support Systems Ch 26: Intelligent Systems Ch 27: Intelligent Monitoring and Control

Ch 18: Patient Safety and Health Information Technology

Decision support; practitioner performance and patient outcomes 10 Commandments of Clinical Decision Support


13


Ch 28: Biosurveillance

Ch 23: Public Health Informatics

Unintended consequences of health information technology: A need for biomedical informatics

Discussion Forum Questions and responses Special Projects due Sunday 4/27!

1

4

Monday

4/28 to

SAT 5/3

Ch 29:

Bioinformatics

Ch 22:

Bioinformatics

Final Blog posts due

Timed final due by SATURDAY 5/3!

Documents

College of Health Sciences Health Informatics and …John-Health Informatics and...1) Guide to Health Informatics Second Edition, Enrico Coiera, Hodder Arnold, 2003 2) Health Informatics: