Medical informatics: the Pittsburgh experience.

Area of Science:

• Library and Information Science
• Medical Informatics
• Health Sciences Education

Background:

• Medical informatics is a rapidly growing field requiring specialized skills.
• Training library and information science practitioners in medical informatics presents unique challenges.
• Understanding these challenges is crucial for developing effective educational programs.

Purpose of the Study:

• To identify issues and challenges in medical informatics training for library and information science professionals.
• To inform the development of targeted training curricula for medical librarians.
• To assess the current state of medical informatics education within library science programs.

Main Methods:

• A survey was conducted among medical librarian participants.
• Participants had undergone medical informatics training at the University of Pittsburgh.
• Data was collected to understand training experiences and identify specific issues.

Main Results:

• The survey highlighted specific difficulties encountered during medical informatics training.
• Identified issues varied depending on the type of library and information science practitioner.
• Results provide insights into the effectiveness of current training approaches.

Conclusions:

• Training medical librarians in medical informatics requires tailored approaches.
• Addressing identified issues can improve the quality and relevance of informatics education for librarians.
• Further research is needed to optimize training programs for this interdisciplinary field.