MSc/PGDip/PGCert Health Informatics (UCL/UoM Joint Award)

This module is taught at UCL.

In this unit, we cover the evolving field concerned with the use of information and communication technology to improve or enable personal and public health and healthcare. Increasingly, users of health systems need to have the knowledge and skills to play a more active role in their own care and to participate in decision-making. Information and communication technologies provide an unprecedented opportunity to not just deliver health education and information to consumers, but to involve people in monitoring and managing their health and care. Yet, at the same time, there is concern about the quality and equity of digital resources, and how they affect people’s interaction with the healthcare system and their relationship with health care professionals.

This module seeks to acquaint participants with the different facets of PHI, by considering the health and social policy contexts within which PHI is emerging and the ways in which patients’, consumers’ and professionals’ roles and perspectives are evolving. It encompasses the perspective of the main stakeholders: patients, carers, clinicians, patient groups, the NHS, and the private sector. The main aim of the module is to examine the technology needs of patients, carers and citizens. Issues to do with information quality, behaviour change, and transformation of healthcare services are central to the module. 

The module aims to:

• Foster an appreciation of the scope of Personal Health Informatics.
• Reflect on the response of governments, health services (principally the NHS) and clinical 
• Review evidence on the impact of information and behaviour change techniques on the quality of healthcare delivery, patient experience and health outcomes.
• Review initiatives aimed at improving digital health resources.
• Explore patients’ experiences of engaging digitally. 

Students will be able to: 

Subject-Specific Knowledge

1. Demonstrate an understanding of people’s engagement in their health and care, and barriers and facilitators to equitable engagement.
2. Demonstrate an understanding of different ways in which health, self and care interact to co-produce health.
3. Demonstrate an understanding of the socio-technical aspects of informatics focused on the consumer and the public.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of theories of behaviour change.
5. Demonstrate an understanding of the organisational and human factor challenges to effective and equitable use of health information technologies. 

Intellectual, Academic and Research Skills

1. Demonstrate an ability to systematically search for and critically appraise relevant publications in the health informatics, medical and scientific literature, relating ideas to current thinking, knowledge and research.
2. Demonstrate an ability to synthesise and critically evaluate cross-disciplinary knowledge.
3. Critically analyse the needs of specific patients and the public in relation to the opportunities afforded by the use of digital health technologies. 

This unit will be delivered in a blended format: e-Learning preparation material will impart basic and core knowledge whilst the face-to-face lectures and open discussions will introduce concrete examples and encourage attendees to draw upon their own reading and experience. Problem based group learning during the face-to-face teaching will show a deeper understanding of the area and encourage collaborative working. Example case-studies will be drawn from University of Manchester (Centre for Health Informatics) and University College London research-driven projects and projects from the NHS and other healthcare systems. The face-to-face teaching will be delivered as 1 x three day block of workshops consisting of a mix of summary and introductory lectures, guest lectures by professionals working in healthcare, tech industry or research, student presentations, and workshops. 

Students are set tasks for each topic, with formative feedback supplied at group level. Depending on students numbers, there may additionally be some peer-feedback.