Information management of a medical school educational program: a state-of-the-art application

Quality in the design and management of a medical school education program depends on the ability to access and analyze relevant information in a timely fashion. The components of medical-education information system should support learning and instruction as well as the administrative and research responsibilities of the program. A system capable of meeting these needs requires core, operational, and strategic components. This article discusses a conceptual schema of the medical school environment and reports the results of 3 1/2 years' experience developing core, operational, and strategic components as the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. The value of a simple conceptual schema as a design and development instrument was confirmed. Limitations of the system are discussed along with potential solutions.