“Information is the lifeblood of modern medicine. Health information technology (HIT) is destined to be its circulatory system. Without that system, neither individual physicians nor health care institutions can perform at their best or deliver the highest-quality care, any more than an Olympian could excel with a failing heart.”
- David Blumenthal, MD
N Engl J Med 2010; 362:382-385
Welcome to the pandemic edition of HI 201 for MD-PhD students! HI 201 is an introductory course to health informatics in the MS Health Informatics program. This is a 3-unit course which has now been completely modified for the midyear semester and for MD-PhD students. This elective uses project-based learning. I use the term “project” loosely here, to refer to the deliverables you need to submit weekly as artifacts of learning. My teaching philosophy is “make learning visible.”
The project to be done each week is guided by a driving question. This question captures and communicates the purpose of the project. There are required readings but the students should not limit themselves to these in answering the driving question. Guide questions are intended to help the students approach the readings. The weekly project submission should provide a clear and detailed answer to the driving question. The deadline for submitting on the VLE is every Wednesday at 5 pm. This is to give me enough time to peruse your submissions before our Friday meetings.
We shall meet on Zoom every Friday 2-4 pm (my schedule permitting). I will endeavor to let you know in case of meeting cancellation. The following Zoom details will be used for all meetings.
https://up-edu.zoom.us/j/84922094829
Meeting ID: 849 2209 4829
Passcode: 80312326
I can be reached at icisiptan@up.edu.ph or on Twitter @endocrine_witch.
At the end of this elective, the student should be able to:
The pandemic may have delayed the implementation of the Universal Healthcare Act, but the law must be followed. The implementing rules and regulations were released prior to the pandemic. Have you read it? How many times was ICT and health information systems mentioned in the document?
This week’s driving question will help you situate yourself as a physician in the post pandemic scenario, as the Philippines implements universal healthcare.
Learning outcomes:
When the pandemic hit and the community quarantine closed outpatient clinics, physicians reached out to patients via telemedicine. However, there were patients who lost contact with their physicians having no access to wifi or the requisite gadgets for a video consultation. While it may still be possible to do telephone consultations, this audio only mode limits the medical care that can be provided. How about QR codes and contact tracing? There are mobile apps that can be downloaded to facilitate easy entry into establishments. Those who have no mobile phones however must fill out paper forms, which carries some risk for infection via fomites.
This week’s driving question invites you to reflect on the digital divide.
Learning outcomes:
In an ideal world, health data can be shared seamlessly whenever, wherever to whomever. Instead, health data are trapped in silos which can compromise care. This week’s driving question gives you a glimpse into health informatics’ enduring challenge.
Learning outcomes:
Much of Philippine healthcare still runs on paper. Many physicians keep paper charts and give patients prescriptions that are handwritten or sometimes printed on paper. This week’s driving question will take you through the steps of shifting from paper charts to electronic health records. It may be a difficult and daunting task, but it’s certainly not impossible.
Learning Outcomes:
Some patients keep copies of their lab results and prescriptions. Some leave their lab results with their physicians and don’t keep a copy. These lab results and prescriptions are often in paper format. Having such health information at hand is vital to helping patients manage their conditions, especially for those with chronic disease.
This week’s driving question invites you to take a look at electronic health records, but this time in the shoes of the patient.
Learning Outcomes:
In the US, confidentiality and security of protected health information (PHI) in electronic health records is addressed by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA). The Philippines does not have a health data-specific regulation like HIPAA, but it has the Data Privacy Act.
Does the Philippines need a HIPAA-like regulation or is the Data Privacy Act enough? This week’s driving question invites you to take a closer look.
Learning Outcomes: