Module 1 Lecture 1 What is Informatics

8/13/2019 Module 1 Lecture 1 What is Informatics

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Fourth Year Course in Medical Informatics

Dr Peter Cantillon

Mr. Ben Kanagaratnum

What is Medical Informatics?



Medical Informatics?

•What is Medical Informatics?

•Why bother with it?

•How is it used?•What will this course be about?

•How will I be assessed?

•How will this course benefit me?



Medical Informatics is “the study of howmedical knowledge is created, shaped, shared

and applied.” Enrico Coiera 1997




Information Science

Information Technology



Information Science

Sources

Types

Flow

Value

Classification

Processing



Information Science

Strategic learning

Perception

Memory and recall

Application in context

Interpretation

Processing information



Information technology

•Storing

•Processing

• Analysing

•Transmitting

•Displaying

Information



Informatics

Information Science Information Technology

Health Care

Incidental Medical

Management Clinical











•Managing information

•Greater speed and efficiency

•Facilitating evidence based practice•Improving communication

•Shared environment with patients

•Momentum toward IT solutions

Why bother?



Why bother with medical informatics?????

Information explosion

Drowning in an ocean facts

Overloaded curriculum Running to stand still

Empowered patients



Medical uncertainty

Appendicitis

•Pain site, character, severity

• Associated symptoms•Physical signs

•Low grade fever

Is medicine a science?

Is there uncertainty in medicine?

If so why is there uncertainty in medicine?

If so where does it occur in medical practice?



Medical uncertainty

40% removed at the appropriate time

30% perforated at the time of operation

30% “lily -white”

Making decisions within an uncertain context



Communicating information

The true meaning of any utterance is that which isconstrued.....

•Doctor to doctor communication

•Doctor to nurse communication

•Doctor to patient communication•Coding/defining medical phenomena



Is the saying “ doctors differ and patients die” true ??

•Inadequate communication

•Different information gathering skills

• Attention to detail

•Different interpretation skills

•In-built speciality biases

•Patient factors











Electronic patient record

Research and audit

Evidence based medicine

Communication

Diary and personal management

How is used?

Decision support systems





Internet diagram



l k



Virtual Private Networks

• Virtual Private Networks (VPNs) run over the Internet and

transparently encrypt the links between sites. Dr. B. O Mahoney













How doctors make decisions

How medical “truth” is derived

Ensuring basic IT skills

Introduction to EBM

Review of relevant statistical knowledge

Medical uses of the internet and on-line databases

Electronic patient records

What this course is about?











Assessment

•Mini thesis (September-January)

•OSCE ! (February 2002)

•MCQ (February 2002)

The Berman Prize is worth the effort











Module 1 Lecture 1 What is Informatics

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