Health Informatics and E-health Curriculum for Clinical Health Profession Degrees.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics Education
• Digital Health Pedagogy
• Interprofessional Learning

Background:

• Limited formal health informatics and e-health education for clinical health professionals in Australia.
• Need for specialized training aligned with university qualification frameworks and professional standards.
• Health informatics recognized as a distinct specialized profession.

Purpose of the Study:

• To model a new approach for widespread health informatics and e-health education.
• To develop a Masters-level subject integrating educational quality assurance and professional competencies.
• To address systemic challenges in clinical informatics through education.

Main Methods:

• Design-based research methodology.
• Development of a Masters subject referencing Australian Qualifications Framework and CHIA competencies.
• Peer and external expert review, cross-institutional online learning, and evaluation of student outcomes.
• Open curriculum development and dissemination.

Main Results:

• Demonstrated demand for tailored health informatics and e-health education among clinical health professionals.
• Identified the need for nuanced and complementary educational offerings in Australian universities.
• Successfully implemented a cross-institutional, interprofessional online learning subject.

Conclusions:

• Formal health informatics education is in demand and necessary for Australian clinical health professionals.
• The developed curriculum and methodology provide a model for other institutions.
• Addressing educational needs can help overcome systemic challenges in Australian clinical informatics.