Thoughts about curricula in health informatics

Area of Science:

• Medical Informatics Education
• Curriculum Development
• Health Information Science

Background:

• Medical informatics education faces challenges due to heterogeneous and overlapping target learner groups.
• Standardized educational approaches are difficult to implement effectively.
• Existing educational frameworks may not adequately address the diverse needs within the field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To address the complexities of medical informatics education.
• To outline a structured approach for developing relevant curricula.
• To inform the creation of standardized educational recommendations.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of target group homogeneity and overlap in medical informatics.
• Development of a categorization framework for target groups using three axes: discipline, career stage, and expertise level.
• Examination of knowledge requirements for specific learner groups, exemplified by medical students.

Main Results:

• Identified significant heterogeneity and overlap among groups requiring medical informatics education.
• Proposed a multi-axis framework (discipline, career stage, expertise level) for defining target audiences.
• Illustrated knowledge requirements for medical students as a case study.

Conclusions:

• Medical informatics education requires tailored approaches due to diverse learner needs.
• A systematic categorization of target groups is essential for effective curriculum design.
• The proposed framework provides a foundation for developing comprehensive and adaptable medical informatics curricula.