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This is a survey course designed to provide a broad, forward-facing overview of contemporary health informatics, a specialized field of computing that seeks to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. To understand health informatics (HIT) you also need to have at least a basic understanding of the complex and highly regulated US healthcare industry. The course is designed for students from diverse backgrounds and who have not been previously exposed to HIT. It is divided into three sections:

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This is a survey course designed to provide a broad, forward-facing overview of contemporary health informatics, a specialized field of computing that seeks to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. To understand health informatics (HIT) you also need to have at least a basic understanding of the complex and highly regulated US healthcare industry. The course is designed for students from diverse backgrounds and who have not been previously exposed to HIT. It is divided into three sections:

The US healthcare delivery and the key role of the federal government in promoting HIT adoption

The core technologies that drive all contemporary HIT systems and tools

The real world applications of HIT from electronic medical and personal health records to exploiting digital data aggregated from them for research and other purposes

Good to know

Know what's good
, what to watch for
, and possible dealbreakers
Ideal for students without a background in health informatics looking for an overview
This course requires knowledge in web programming, which could be a barrier for some

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Activities

Be better prepared before your course. Deepen your understanding during and after it. Supplement your coursework and achieve mastery of the topics covered in Introduction to Health Informatics with these activities:
Refresher: US Healthcare
Refresh your knowledge of the US healthcare system to gain a better understanding of the context of health informatics.
Browse courses on Hospital Management
Show steps
  • Review notes or resources from previous US healthcare courses.
  • Conduct research on the current US healthcare system.
Prep work for statistics
Reviewing statistics will set a solid foundation for learning in this course.
Browse courses on Probability Distributions
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  • Review course materials from previous statistics courses.
  • Study textbooks
  • Take practice quizzes.
Enhance Web Programming Skills
Strengthen your web programming skills through guided tutorials to improve your understanding of HIT systems and tools.
Browse courses on HTML
Show steps
  • Follow online tutorials or courses on web development.
Four other activities
Expand to see all activities and additional details
Show all seven activities
Practice coding challenges
Practice coding challenges to enhance your programming skills, which are essential for HIT.
Browse courses on Python
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  • Solve coding challenges on platforms like LeetCode or HackerRank.
Explore EHRs
Start a project to familiarize yourself with EHRs, which are essential tools in HIT.
Show steps
  • Choose a health condition or disease and gather data from EHRs.
  • Analyze the data using statistical methods or data visualization.
  • Present your findings in a report or presentation.
Create a glossary of HIT
Creating a glossary of key HIT terms will enhance your understanding and retention of the material.
Show steps
  • Define key terms related to health informatics.
  • Present your definitions in a concise and clear format, such as a glossary.
Connect with HIT professionals
Networking with HIT professionals provides access to valuable insights and potential mentorship opportunities.
Show steps
  • Identify networking events or meetups.
  • Prepare your introduction and engage in conversations.

Career center

Learners who complete Introduction to Health Informatics will develop knowledge and skills that may be useful to these careers:
Data Scientist
Data Scientists use data to solve problems and improve decision-making. This course may be useful for learning how to use healthcare data to solve problems and improve decision-making in the healthcare system. Learning how to use healthcare data to solve problems and improve decision-making can be a useful skill for a Data Scientist.
Business Analyst
Business Analysts help organizations improve their performance by analyzing data and making recommendations for change. This course may be useful for learning how to analyze healthcare data and make recommendations for improving the healthcare system. Learning how to analyze healthcare data and make recommendations for improving the healthcare system can be a useful skill for a Business Analyst.
Data Analyst
Data Analysts collect, clean, and analyze data to help organizations make informed decisions. This course may be useful for learning how to collect, clean, and analyze healthcare data. Learning how to collect, clean, and analyze healthcare data can be a useful skill for a Data Analyst.
Data Engineer
Data Engineers design, develop, and maintain data systems for healthcare organizations. This course may be useful for learning about the health informatics field and how to design, develop, and maintain data systems for healthcare organizations.
Quantitative Analyst
Quantitative Analysts process data to help financial companies make informed decisions. This course may be useful for learning how to process healthcare data. Learning how to process healthcare data and analytics to identify valuable patterns can be a useful skill for a Quantitative Analyst.
Research Scientist
Research Scientists conduct research to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery.
Healthcare Consultant
Healthcare Consultants help healthcare organizations improve their performance. This course may be useful for learning about the healthcare industry and how to improve its performance. Learning about the healthcare industry and how to improve its performance can be a useful skill for a Healthcare Consultant.
Public Health Analyst
Public Health Analysts collect, analyze, and interpret data to improve public health. This course may be useful for learning how to collect, analyze, and interpret healthcare data to improve public health. Learning how to collect, analyze, and interpret healthcare data to improve public health can be a useful skill for a Public Health Analyst.
AI Engineer
Artificial Intelligence Engineers design, develop, and maintain AI systems for healthcare organizations. This course may be useful for learning about the health informatics field and how to design, develop, and maintain AI systems for healthcare organizations.
Health Information Manager
Health Information Managers manage the flow of health information in healthcare organizations. This course may be useful for learning about the health information management field and how to manage the flow of health information in healthcare organizations. Learning about the health information management field and how to manage the flow of health information in healthcare organizations can be a useful skill for a Health Information Manager.
Clinical Data Analyst
Clinical Data Analysts analyze clinical data to improve the quality of healthcare delivery. This course may be useful for learning how to analyze clinical data and improve the quality of healthcare delivery.
Medical Informatics Specialist
Medical Informatics Specialists use informatics to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. This course may be useful for learning about medical informatics and how to use informatics to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery. Learning about medical informatics and how to use informatics to improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare delivery can be a useful skill for a Medical Informatics Specialist.
ML Engineer
Machine Learning Engineers design, develop, and maintain ML systems for healthcare organizations. This course may be useful for learning about the health informatics field and how to design, develop, and maintain ML systems for healthcare organizations.
Software Engineer, Health Informatics
Software Engineers, Health Informatics design, develop, and maintain software systems for healthcare organizations. This course may be useful for learning about the health informatics field and how to design, develop, and maintain software systems for healthcare organizations. Learning about the health informatics field and how to design, develop, and maintain software systems for healthcare organizations can be a useful skill for a Software Engineer, Health Informatics.
Systems Analyst, Health Informatics
Systems Analysts, Health Informatics analyze healthcare systems and make recommendations for improvements. This course may be useful for learning about the health informatics field and how to analyze healthcare systems and make recommendations for improvements. Learning about the health informatics field and how to analyze healthcare systems and make recommendations for improvements can be a useful skill for a Systems Analyst, Health Informatics.

Reading list

We've selected six books that we think will supplement your learning. Use these to develop background knowledge, enrich your coursework, and gain a deeper understanding of the topics covered in Introduction to Health Informatics.
Explores the impact of the Internet on healthcare, and how it is changing the way that patients and doctors interact. The text provides insights into the new world of patient-centered care.
Applies the principles of disruptive innovation to healthcare, emphasizing the need for new approaches to improve healthcare delivery. Offers insights into the challenges and opportunities in leveraging technology for healthcare transformation.
Provides a comprehensive overview of the Affordable Care Act, covering its history, provisions, and impact.
Provides a guide to the patient-centered medical home model, a new approach to primary care that focuses on providing comprehensive, coordinated care.

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