Postgraduate Course: Public Health Informatics (GLHE11059)
Course Outline
| School | Deanery of Molecular, Genetic and Population Health Sciences |
College | College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine |
| Credit level (Normal year taken) | SCQF Level 11 (Postgraduate) |
| Course type | Online Distance Learning |
Availability | Not available to visiting students |
| SCQF Credits | 10 |
ECTS Credits | 5 |
| Summary | Only available to students of the Data Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) online distance learning programme
Please note: Exact dates of the course are as below where the university system blocks do not capture individual programme course start dates and may appear to students to show earlier/later start dates:
Term 1, Block 2 is 6 Nov - 8 Dec 2017.
The course will be divided into 5 sessions, each lasting a week. Most sessions will contain written materials and presentations, accompanied by guided reading in the form of links to journal articles with problem-based learning questions.
Discussion of the content and reading materials will be posted to an online forum, along with students' answers to the PBL questions.
Students will be expected to produce a 2500 word essay by the end of the course.
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| Course description |
Public health informatics is the systematic application of information and computer science and technology to public health practice, research, and learning. This course provides a broad overview of the field, taking account of classic public health information delivery, core principles of epidemiology, health inequalities and health behaviour change, as well as the implications of massive linked datasets for research and policy, and the value of emerging mobile and social technologies for health surveillance. It will discuss the issues from an international perspective, with reference to global public health needs and the emergence of innovative digital systems and analytics
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Entry Requirements (not applicable to Visiting Students)
| Pre-requisites |
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Co-requisites | |
| Prohibited Combinations | |
Other requirements | Only available to students of the Data Science, Technology and Innovation (DSTI) online distance learning programme. |
| Additional Costs | Students will be responsible for their computer equipment and internet access. |
Course Delivery Information
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| Academic year 2017/18, Not available to visiting students (SS1)
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Quota: None |
| Course Start |
Block 2 (Sem 1) |
| Course Start Date |
30/10/2017 |
Timetable |
Timetable |
| Learning and Teaching activities (Further Info) |
Total Hours:
100
(
Lecture Hours 5,
Seminar/Tutorial Hours 1,
Online Activities 35,
Feedback/Feedforward Hours 5,
Formative Assessment Hours 5,
Revision Session Hours 1,
Programme Level Learning and Teaching Hours 2,
Directed Learning and Independent Learning Hours
46 )
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| Assessment (Further Info) |
Written Exam
0 %,
Coursework
100 %,
Practical Exam
0 %
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| Additional Information (Assessment) |
Written Exam 0%
Coursework 100%
Practical Exam 0%
Collated forum postings: 30%
Essay: 70% |
| Feedback |
Formative feedback will be given throughout the course through the discussion boards. Summative assessment feedback is also provided via LEARN at the end of the course.
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| No Exam Information |
Learning Outcomes
On completion of this course, the student will be able to:
- Identify the main global public health challenges faced by health systems today.
- Recognise the value of digital information management systems for supporting healthcare systems, and their role in the monitoring and evaluation of public health.
- Discuss the political, economic and technical challenges to health systems integration.
- Critically discuss the current and future role of the internet and social media in public health.
- Examine ethical dilemmas related to digital information, tools and services.
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Reading List
Book: O-Carroll et al (2010) Public Health Informatics and Information Systems. Springer http://www.amazon.co.uk/Public-Health-Informatics-Information-Systems/dp/1441930183#_
Online Journal of Public Health Informatics. http://ojphi.org/index
Paul M.J. & Dredze M (2011) You Are What You Tweet: Analyzing Twitter for Public Health. Proceedings of the Fifth International AAAI Conference on Weblogs and Social Media http://www.aaai.org/ocs/index.php/ICWSM/ICWSM11/paper/viewFile/2880/3264
Yasnoff, W.A., O'Carroll, P.W., Koo, D., Linkins, R.W. and Kilbourne, E.M. (2000) Public health informatics: improving and transforming public health in the information age. J Public Health Management Practice, 6(6), 67-75. http://www.uic.edu/sph/prepare/courses/ph420/resources/PHInformatics.pdf
Up-to-date articles and web links will be selected each time the course runs. |
Additional Information
| Graduate Attributes and Skills |
Understands where eHealth/health informatics and Public Health intersect and is able to explain this to others
Is familiar with core concerns of public health and the core principles of epidemiology
Is aware of the value of information infrastructures for improving the capacity of public health systems to manage patients and improve outcomes
Can describe innovative uses of digital media for public health communication, health behaviour change and health monitoring.
Understands the need for and challenges of public health informatics in the 21st century. |
| Keywords | Global eHealth |
Contacts
| Course organiser | Dr Claudia Pagliari
Tel: (0131 6)50 9464
Email: |
Course secretary | Ms Gayle Fitzpatrick
Tel: (0131 6)50 9236
Email: |
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