Masters Degrees in Health Informatics, Ireland

The School of Computer Science and Statistics and the School of Medicine offer a joint MSc programme in Health Informatics. Health Informatics is broadly concerned with the application of Information Technology in the health sector. It is a truly interdisciplinary field in which medicine, computer science, management science, statistics and engineering are all represented.

The main aim of the MSc programme is to give students a broad understanding of both the principles underlying the field of health informatics and of its practical applications. The course is intended for suitably qualified applicants currently working or aspiring to work in a position in the health sector which requires the efficient and cost effective application of information technology. The MSc course runs over two academic years (September - June) on a part-time basis, on Friday afternoons and Saturday mornings to facilitate those in full-time employment. The first year incorporates both taught and practical components with a strong emphasis on practical team-based continuous assessment.

Students take a total of seven modules from the following: introduction to health informatics; introduction to computing (for those from a health science background); introduction to health sciences (for those from a computing background); health information systems; clinical decision support systems; biomedical imaging; human computer interaction in healthcare; health informatics research paper and bioinformatics. Not all modules will be offered each year. Year 2 students receive instruction in research methodology and undertake an independent research project.

This course has been co-funded under the National Development Plan (Graduate Skills Conversion Programme) for EU fee paying students.

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The Graduate Entry Medical School with the support of colleagues in the Schools of Allied Health, Education and Department of Nursing & Midwifery have developed a Masters in Health Professions Education which is designed to meet the educator training needs of busy health professionals both locally and internationally.

The programme will be offered in two formats to meet the needs of busy healthcare professionals. • Blended Learning - course code MSHPEDTPA (Face to Face and Online/Distance) - targeting those students who favour the social and collaborative nature of face to face learning. • Online/Distance Learning - course code MSHPEDTDA – targeting those individuals who, for whatever reason, cannot present physically on campus. It is also anticipated that this option will provide the platform for targeting international students and alumni. 

What you will learn

At the end of the programme graduates will meet the following learning outcomes

• Demonstrate a specialised understanding of a complex body of knowledge relating to the theory and pedagogy, research and evidence, and policy and practice of health professions education and its potential as a powerful mechanism for change in health systems, and the educational programs offered across a range of health professions and disciplines

• Evaluate existing and innovative learning and teaching pedagogies and practices for the purpose of extending or redefining existing knowledge and promoting new insights in health professions education pedagogy, theory and practice

• Demonstrate creativity, innovation and ethical practice in health professions education

• Critique, reflect on and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories relating to health professions education

• Develop practical, generic skills in teaching and assessment, underpinned by an understanding of educational theory

• Apply advanced knowledge and analytical and practical skills in managing complex problems within health professions education

• Lead education development within their own practice context

• Independently design, develop, implement medical education research relevant to their own practice and disseminate outcomes

• Interpret and communicate knowledge, skills, ideas and solutions related to health professions education to specialist and non-specialist audiences, including stakeholders within the health professions, universities, health services, governments and community

• Apply advanced knowledge and analysis of educational principles to inform improvements within individuals’ own professional settings

• Critique, reflect on and synthesise complex information, problems, concepts and theories relating to health professions education, effecting change, innovation and evidence based practice where appropriate

How you will be taught

A student-centered approach with an emphasis on collaboration will underpin the Masters in Health Professions Education. Prominence will be given to learning from experience, problem solving, reflecting and implementing change.

The online component will engage students in knowledge content, discussions, e-tivities, relevant readings and assignments. Discussion fora and oncampus contact days (blended learning format) will provide a forum for revisiting difficult concepts and for additional collaboration.

The following is a summary of how the programme will foster UL Graduate Attributes in course participants:

Knowledgeable

Through case based learning and authentic (‘realworld’) situations, students will make connections between facts and will foster new understanding of specialized and complex concepts with multiple representations of concepts and content being presented and encouraged promoting conceptual growth.

Pro-active & Creative

An explorative approach will encourage students to independently analyze and interpret information, to develop innovative evidence based ideas and to effect change within their own community of practice and beyond.

Collaborative

Collaborative and co-operative learning opportunities will not only encourage the sharing of perspectives but will also foster opportunities for interdisciplinary learning and innovations.

Articulate

Specific learning and assessment opportunities will provide the platform for demonstrating competence in articulating ideas to relevant stakeholders in written, verbal and digital communication.

Responsible

Assessment will be integrated within tasks and will encourage reflection and awareness of self and of the environment within which students work with specific orientation towards a) making substantial and positive changes and b) exploring the local and global impact of their decisions and actions.

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In conjunction with the department of Health & Science, we aim to apply the concept of exergaming as an approach to encouraging patient participation in their prescribed exercise/rehabilitation process. This would include a mechanism to monitor specific exercise/rehabilitation routines in real time, while incorporating a patient feedback mechanism to assist with progression management.

Methodology proposed

• Adopting a ‘design thinking’ approach in conjunction with our collaborators in the RSRC, we will design and prototype a hardware/software solution which measures specific patient exercise/activity in an engaging way.
• The concept of exergaming will be applied, where exergaming is defined as technology-driven physical activities, such as video game play, that requires participants to be physically active or exercise in order to play the game.
• This recorded data may also be transferred to the cloud where it will be processed and made available for review by the rehabilitation experts.

Expected outcomes: (e.g. deliverables & strategic impacts)

Outputs:

• Software application(s) designed to suit specific physical activities.
• Prototype hardware device(s) for remote monitoring, Wi-Fi enabled with embedded software for real time data gathering and communication
• Cloud based backend system for data storage with data analysis algorithms
• Web based data presentation portal
• Desktop/mobile app for participant engagement through data presentation

Strategic:

1. The concept of exergaming is an emerging field being adopted in a number of domains. The Computing department is currently working with European Erasmus+ partners to develop an online, multi-disciplinary module titled “Serious Games & Welfare Technology” where the focus is on technology for patient’s health and wellbeing. This project would serve as an excellent show case for the module, and a potential source of postgraduate students in this field.
2. This project will feed into a collaboration project within the dept. of Health & Science (RSRC)
3. The objective measurement of remote patients can be compared to the subjective ‘gold standard’ measurements
4. A successful prototype has tremendous potential to be extended to other measurements/environments within Health Science and other fields.

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