Developing Evidence-based Population Health Informatics curriculum: Integrating competency based model and job...

Area of Science:

• Public Health Informatics
• Health Informatics Education
• Workforce Development

Background:

• Technological advancements necessitate core informatics skills for public health professionals.
• Existing curricula may not align with current industry demands in health informatics.
• A data-driven approach is needed to define essential competencies for the evolving field.

Purpose of the Study:

• To integrate informatics competencies and job analysis for an evidence-based curriculum framework.
• To apply this framework to develop a population health informatics program.
• To identify critical skills and knowledge required for health informatics roles.

Main Methods:

• Content analysis of 306 "health informatics" and "population health informatics" job postings in New York (June-July 2019).
• Data extraction included job titles, organization types, education, experience, salary, location, and required skills (technical, software, and soft skills).
• Analysis focused on identifying commonalities and trends in required competencies.

Main Results:

• The most common job title was "analyst" (21%).
• Health systems constituted over a third of hiring organizations (35%).
• Key skills included data/statistical analysis (68%), multidisciplinary teamwork (35%), and biomedical/clinical experience (30%).
• Common programming skills were SQL, Python, and R.
• Most jobs were full-time (95%), with nearly half located in New York City (47%).

Conclusions:

• A comprehensive framework integrating informatics competencies and job market analysis is crucial for curriculum development.
• The identified skills and competencies informed the creation of an online population health informatics curriculum.
• This approach ensures educational programs remain relevant in a rapidly evolving technological landscape.