Benchmarking Informatics

Health Informatics Professional Development Board

Katherine Pigott (Course Administrator)Dr S de Lusignan, Ms A Rapley, Dr S Barman, Ms A Pritchard-Copley & Mr J RobinsonBiomedical informatics BSc / MSci St George’s - University of London

Overview• Defining a benchmarking standard• Why benchmark learning outcomes

for informatics?• Creating an undergraduate

informatics course• BMI 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

Defining 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.

Creating 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 encouraged to take work placement between years 2 and 3.•Students can take 2 to 3 month placements between the years.

Years 1-3 – first 4 subjects1. 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 subjects5. 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.

• Bloom’s taxonomy• Creation of 20 web templates• Mapping learning objectives and

vocational competencies to benchmarks

Constructing the benchmarking statement (2)

Benchmarking StatementsLevel 1The 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 StatementsLevel 2The 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 StatementsLevel 3The six core learning outcomes include:

• Critically discuss ethical issues.

• Manage, implement and assess ICT.

• Identify and synthesise solutions for technical/security faults (risk assessment).

• 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.

Feedback from BCS HIF• Immediate feedback

– Data standards should be explicit.– Benchmarking needs to be more than

an academic exercise.– Reflect on nomenclature of course

• Absence of further initiatives

Course Developments• Cohort of 41 students on the

course• Recruitment for 2007-8 cohort• Investigating student work

placement opportunities • Embedding the course within the

informatics profession

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 and collaboration

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