Module SOCI59715: Health Informatics and Clinical Intelligence

Department: Sociology

SOCI59715: Health Informatics and Clinical Intelligence

Prerequisites

• None

Corequisites

• SGIA49915 Quantitative Methods and Analysis or MATH42715 Introduction to Statistics for Data Science or other R experience approved by the module convenor.

Excluded Combination of Modules

• None

Aims

• To introduce the concepts and skills for generating health knowledge from electronic medical/health records and health system datasets.

Content

• Fundamentals of health informatics
• Public health data, including standardisation methods and inequality measures
• Electronic health/medical records, including privacy requirements, coding, and linkage principles to support the use of such records for broader health purposes
• Applications of health informatics, using machine learning and other methods with health datasets for clinical and public health policy decision support.

Learning Outcomes

• By the end of the module students will have a working knowledge and understanding of concepts in the following areas:
• Understand the purpose and role of health informatics;
• Appreciate the different types of data in care delivery and public health;
• Benefits and barriers to using different types of health data for clinical and policy decisions in the health sector.

• Students will have necessary skills to analyse electronic health data to support care delivery and public health objectives.

• By the end of the module, students will be able to:
• Develop computer code to process and analyse data from electronic health/medical datasets;
• Conduct data analyses to support clinical and population decision-making in the health sector;
• Critically analyse informatics issues relevant to health care delivery and public health objectives.

Modes of Teaching, Learning and Assessment and how these contribute to the learning outcomes of the module

• All lectures will be recorded in line with the University's Lecture Capture Policy and will be available for the duration of the programme.
• Lectures will present the methodological and conceptual foundations for health informatics as described in the 'Content' item, with other modes of teaching aligned accordingly.
• Workshops provide opportunities for students to apply their knowledge to case studies, concretising their understanding, and to discuss how concepts apply in practice, building on lectures and their own reading and preparatory activities.
• Summative assignments are designed to test both the application of data analysis and communication skills and critical analysis of health informatics concepts and issues.

Teaching Methods and Learning Hours

Summative Assessment

Formative Assessment:

During a workshop, prepare two appropriate plots in R. As a group, we will also consider the plots against the assessment criteria.

■ Attendance at all activities marked with this symbol will be monitored. Students who fail to attend these activities, or to complete the summative or formative assessment specified above, will be subject to the procedures defined in the University's General Regulation V, and may be required to leave the University