Postgraduate Programme and Module Handbook 2024-2025
Module SOCI59715: Health Informatics and Clinical Intelligence
Department: Sociology
SOCI59715: Health Informatics and Clinical Intelligence
| Type | Tied | Level | 5 | Credits | 15 | Availability | Available in 2024/2025 | Module Cap | None. |
|---|
| Tied to | G5P323 |
|---|---|
| Tied to | L3KB07 |
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
Subject-specific Knowledge:
- 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.
Subject-specific Skills:
- Students will have necessary skills to analyse electronic health data to support care delivery and public health objectives.
Key Skills:
- 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
- There are two types of workshops, lectures and practicals, with eight of each.
- Lectures will present the methodological and conceptual foundations for health informatics as described in the 'Content' item, with other modes of teaching aligned accordingly. These will be recorded in line with the University's Lecture Capture Policy and will be available for the duration of the programme.
- Practical sessions are conducted in R and students are expected to work on their own laptop. They build on the lectures and readings by applying knowledge to case studies, and consider how concepts apply in practice.
- 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
| Activity | Number | Frequency | Duration | Total/Hours | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Workshops | 16 | 2 per week (Term 2, weeks 1-4 and 6-9) | 2 hours | 32 | |
| Preparation, exercises and reading | 118 | ||||
| Total | 150 |
Summative Assessment
| Component: Coursework | Component Weighting: 100% | ||
|---|---|---|---|
| Element | Length / duration | Element Weighting | Resit Opportunity |
| Data Analysis Report | 800 words + figures | 50% | |
| Issue Analysis | 1,500 words | 50% | |
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