Benchmarking Informatics
BCS Health Informatics Forum
Katherine Pigott (Course Administrator)
Dr S de Lusignan, Ms A Rapley, Dr S
Barman, Ms A Pritchard-Copley & Mr J
Robinson
Biomedical informatics BSc / MSci St George’s - University of London
Overview
• What is a benchmarking standard?
• Why benchmark learning outcomes
for informatics?
• Setting up an undergraduate
informatics course
• Course content and structure
Overview (2)
• Constructing the benchmark
• The three levels of the benchmarking
statement
• Principal findings
For the future
• Future collaborative work
• Useful web links
What is a benchmarking
standard?
“1.The conceptual framework that gives a
discipline its coherence and identity;
2. About the intellectual capability and
understanding that should be developed,
3. The techniques and skills which are
associated with developing an
understanding in that discipline; and
4. The level of intellectual demand and
challenge which is appropriate to that
discipline.”
Why benchmark learning
outcomes for informatics?
• Makes standards and core
competencies explicit to students, HEIs
+ employers
• Enables transnational education +
employment
• Has a pivotal role in Quality Assurance.
• Will support future development of
informatics courses.
Setting up an undergraduate
informatics course
Rationale
• Increased role of IT in Healthcare
• Increased drive for system interoperability
• Tripartite course can pool expertise from
three institutions
Challenges in devising curriculum
• No QAA defined benchmarks for informatics
• Curriculum guidelines 5 to 6 years old
Course Structure of BSc/MSci
Biomedical Informatics
•BSc/MSci course
•Four themes and 8 subjects
• Eight 3-week modules a year, revisiting
each of the 8 subjects in increasing complexity.
• Students can take work placement between
years 2 and 3.
•Students can take 2 to 3 month placements
between the years.
Years 1-3 – first 4 subjects
1. Health, disease and treatment.
2. Technology at the point of care.
3. Clinical data & the computerised
medical record.
4. Health services strategy and IS.
Years 1-3 – second 4 subjects
5. Healthcare organisation
6. Evidence based medicine and
knowledge management
7. Information governance
8. Genetics and bioinformatics
Course Content - MSci
• Research/project options
• Medical Statistics
• Evaluating Informatics tools
• Specialist options (selection)
– Programming
– Electronic Commerce Technologies
– Analysis and developing software
Constructing the benchmarking
statement (1)
• Mapped 6 publications outlining
academic & vocational scope of
informatics
–
–
–
–
–
IMIA – International Medical Informatics Association
IT Eductra – Education and Training in health informatics
BCS-ES – BCS Health Informatics Forum Education Steps
NHS NOS – National Occupational Standards for Health Informatics
NHS IM&T – National Health Service Vocational awards in Information
Management and Technology
– Draft programme for BMI at SGUL.
Constructing the
benchmarking statement (2)
• Bloom’s taxonomy
• Creation of 20 web templates
• Mapping learning objectives and
vocational competencies to
benchmarks
Benchmarking Statements
Level 1
The seven core learning outcomes include
•
Identify the need for IT applications in healthcare.
•
Demonstrate competence in the technologies and skills for learning
and development.
•
Apply organisational techniques to interpret information.
•
Deploy skills required in management of patients and their records.
•
Describe health and social care information systems.
•
Define basic terminology and concepts of informatics and computer
science and explain concepts in mathematics and biometry.
Benchmarking Statements
Level 2
The seven core learning outcomes include:
•
Discuss and apply advanced informatics and computer science.
•
Demonstrate use and design of software.
•
Analyse and assess different coding systems in healthcare.
•
Define and evaluate informatics standards.
•
Display an awareness of the fields of Medicine, health and
biosciences, NHS and describe applications of biomedical
informatics specialities.
•
Show appropriate customer service skills.
Benchmarking Statements
Level 3
The six core learning outcomes include:
•
Critically discuss ethical issues.
•
Manage, implement and assess ICT.
•
Identify and synthesise solutions for technical/security
faults.
•
Present information regarding image and signal processing.
•
Plan, implement, monitor, evaluate and complete projects.
•
Exhibit managerial skills and knowledge.
Principal Findings
• Commonality across informatics
academic objectives.
• Current standards (i.e. IMIA)
need updating.
• Benchmarks offer increased
transparency to HEIs, employers &
enable transnational collaboration.
Plans for the future
• Validation of benchmarks
• Map UKCHIP competencies
• Examine limitations of mapping to
a single place in the learning
hierarchy.
• Call for further research
Useful web links
• Information about our course:
http://www.sgul.ac.uk/
• Benchmarking statement on the web:
http://www.gpinformatics.org/benchmark2006/
Further reading:
Pritchard-Copley, A., de Lusignan, S., Rapley, A.,
Robinson, J.,Towards a benchmarking statement for
Biomedical Informatics. Healthcare Computing. 2006:
221-229.
Any questions?
Contact:
kpigott@sgul.ac.uk
020 8725 5661