Bachelor of Science in Digital Health Informatics B.S (DHI)

The B.S. degree program in Digital Health Informatics is a 4-year program that focuses on management, analysis and reporting on data and information from health systems including hospitals, medical offices, health insurance plans, government health providers and medical research, with the goal of using such data to improve patient care delivery. Students are prepared to turn healthcare data into useful information which will help to improve patient care and enhance fiscal and system efficiencies.

Graduates of this program will also develop management and technical skills to enhance the productivity in clinical decision support system, Project management, project design and research. With the rapid advancement in healthcare industry, the demand of healthcare professionals has increased. There are many obstacles to Health Informatics in Pakistan such as inadequate skills of health care personals, lack of physical infrastructure and restricted access to data. This degree program will present solutions and inject necessary manpower to healthcare industry.

Technologies that are Changing Health Care

Today, health informatics and technology — a discipline that combines information systems, data, communications and medical care —are revolutionizing the health care industry, as the majority of medical institutions become compliant with the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH)., health care facilities are now required to maintain electronic records for every patient, giving researchers, clinicians, and medical facilities access to data they have never been able to leverage before. Now, the possibilities this data holds for human health are being explored from every angle. Here are eight ways health informatics and technology will shape the future.

  1. m- Health,

    the use of mobile technology for patient care, is offering a much more convenient patient experience and streamlining care. An increasing array of mobile apps are enabling patients to better manage their health, communicate with healthcare providers, schedule appointments, and access health information. The technology is also helping providers improve patient compliance with tools that provide remote monitoring of certain health conditions and medical devices, Well frame, Retrofit, Med Wand, Well Doc, Pager, Oscar Health and Home team are just a handful of mobile technology companies that are working on applications to transform how doctors and patients interact in the modern era.

  1. Telemedicine,

    much like m- Health, deals with virtual communication between patient and physician. With telemedicine, doctors are able to see and treat patients through video conferencing, eliminating the need for patients to drive to a physician’s office or clinic. Telemedicine is a boon for the thousands of people every year who don’t have access to medical care because they live in a remote location, lack transportation options, or are not ambulatory. In recent years, some medical centers have even expanded their telemedicine capabilities to the surgical suite – remotely performing intricate robotic surgeries on patients many miles away – or even around the world.

  1. Interoperable Healthcare Information Technology (HIT) Systems:

    Interoperability, “the extent to which systems and devices can exchange data, and interpret that shared data,” according to the Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society (HIMSS), is still a pipe dream for the health care industry. Yet, it is a goal that those in the industry are working steadily toward achieving. In order to gain the most benefit from the new influx of patient data and realize the full potential of the healthcare informatics movement, systems and networks must be interoperable. The healthy and open flow of information among health care practitioners, patients and networks will ultimately lead to better health care and more informed patients who are in charge of their own health.

  1. Electronic Health Records:

    Enacted in 2009, the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health Act (HITECH) required that all health care providers adopt electronic medical records (also called electronic health records or EHRs) by 2015. This legislation paved the way for the growth in health care informatics and the age of big data within health care, as well as the possibility for interoperability of patient records between providers. As digital records of a patient’s health history, EHRs should offer an improved continuity of care for patients and better outcomes by ensuring that doctors are diagnosing and treating patients based on a holistic picture of their past and current health. EHRs are also expected to improve coordination of care between providers, reduce healthcare disparities, and streamline processes such as e-prescribing.

  1. Wearable’s

    offer yet another avenue beyond electronic patient records to collect data, increase prevention and improve health outcomes for users. The smart watch and Fit bit are two of the most well known wearable’s but there are many more on the market and currently in development that monitor everything from sleep and rest patterns to heart rate and calories. As the wearable’s industry continues to expand, developers are looking at ways to take the technology even further, beyond just monitoring fitness and activity levels. “For instance, Intel teamed up with the Michael J. Fox Foundation to use wearable’s to find certain characteristics of Parkinson’s disease,” according to Tech Republic.

Career Opportunities: The wide scope of healthcare industry is leading to high demand of healthcare professionals and availability of more new jobs. At the same time, mandated electronic recordkeeping and tightened patient privacy regulations are making Healthcare Informatics a sought-after skill. Clinical Decision Support System Managers, Project Managers, Project Designers, Research Managers, Clinical Database Specialist, Clinical Systems Analyst and Quality Assurance Managers are some of the representative jobs.

Admission requirements: All applicants with A-Levels/F.Sc. (or equivalent qualification) are evaluated based on merit as determined by their previous academic record and NTS 50% marks.

Objective of B.S. Health Informatics Program

  • To develop Health Informatics who can function as the critical link between health care provider and the patient.

  • To develop administrator who posses comprehensive knowledge of medical, administrative, ethical and legal requirement and slandered related to health care delivery and privacy protected patient information.

  • To develop health information administration that can interact with all levels, that employ patient data in decision, making everyday operation.

  • To develop a student ability to think critically and communicate effectively.

  • To train students in the use of the medical language and classification system used to code diagnoses and procedures in patient records for continuity of care, health care and medical research.

  • To prepared and assist graduates in obtaining entry level employment in health information technology.

  • To develop students to lead MS/PhD and research.

  • An understanding of health care system, medical terminology, basic human anatomy and physiology, disease processes, diagnostic modalities, and treatments associated with common disease processes.

  • Advanced knowledge of the functionality, technical infrastructure, and best-practice deployment of health care IT, including medical algorithms, electronic health records, privacy and security, and regulations.

  • Proficiency in managing, processing, and analyzing medical data.

  • Competence sufficient to lead health IT initiatives, to conduct biomedical research, and to design, implement, and manage advanced solutions.

  • improved recruitment into clinical trials
  • optimal protocol design and efficient management
  • adverse event reporting & regulatory compliance

Justification B.S (HI)

There is no other major in the Bachelor of Health Informatics which covers these areas.

The current major in Informatics from the Bachelor of Science does not cover this specific area related to health care or biomedical research informatics. Core skills and knowledge will be developed in: information management and systems principles and practices; information technology concepts and applications; health systems structure and organization; health information attributes and standards

Health informatics focuses on issues related to collecting, storing and analyzing medical information in a digital format. Combining medical knowledge with engineering, informatics and communication systems, health informatics develops procedures that help improve the quality and efficiency of healthcare and health reforms.

A health informatics specialist can perform tasks such as managing electronic records of patients, or exploring patient data to identify trends in disease and treatment.

A flexible curriculum so students can choose an area of specialization:

To suit their career interests. Career choices after graduation include working in health related nonprofit organizations, governmental and community agencies, medical records, patient education, geriatric care settings, diagnostic laboratories, hospitals, the pharmaceutical industry, medical and wellness facilities and businesses.

Students graduating with this degree may enter the workforce:

To continue their education in a variety of fields that might include advanced degree programs in Health Management, Physical or Occupational Therapy, Health Administration, Healthcare Informatics, Communication Disorders and Social Work to name a few (This degree has greater social sciences, business and humanities focus than the more natural science and mathematics intensive degrees required for the professional colleges in medicine, dentistry, pharmacy or veterinary medicine)

Students who complete the Health Informatics major:

It will be able to integrate and apply the fundamentals of information and communication technology, information science, computer science and knowledge management to formulate and solve problems in healthcare, biomedical research and public health.

Graduates of health informatics are expected:

To gain an in-depth understanding of the healthcare industry and to develop relevant programming skills. They will develop the knowledge of information system design and networking and keep up-to-date with the latest IT-based innovations in healthcare. Health informatics specialists require analytical skills that will aid them in gathering and organizing medical information. They will develop strong strategic planning and management abilities, as they work on optimizing access to information in the healthcare industry.

B.S Health Informatics will lead MS and PhD Program a secured successful career will be developed.

In Pakistan Health care sector after introduce PM Health Insurance program, to maintain health Record and payment of physician health service, BS (HI) major rule for success health service at grass root level. B.S (HI) highly demands in future in health care market.