Integrating Informatics into the Undergraduate Curriculum: A Report on a Pilot Project

Abstract

Previous case reports in this series on Education and Training have looked at specialist courses for postgraduate students seeking an in-depth know ledge of informatics and a career in the field. By contrast, this review describes a project designed to pilot a series of learning opportunities for undergraduate medical students. Although some UK medical colleges have opted to introduce informatics into the curriculum as a discipline in its own right, the Informatics Department at St Bartholomew’s Hospital Medical College chose a different approach. When a new curriculum was introduced at St Bartholomew’s and at The London Hospital Medical College, the Head of the Informatics Department saw this as an ideal opportunity to explore ways of integrating informatics into the curriculum. The initiatives described in this paper were made possible as a result of an award from the UK government Department of Employment. Money from an Enterprise in Higher Education grant funded a range of programmes, one of which was designed to introduce students to selected aspects of informatics and to demonstrate what is feasible in the undergraduate curriculum. The work carried out over a period of three and a half years was intended to provide the basis for the next phase of curriculum development. However, in the wake of the restructuring which has taken place in London medical colleges, the Informatics Department at what was St Bartholomew’s has relocated to University College London Medical School, and is now called The Centre for Health Informatics and Multi professional Education (CHIME). University College is designing a new medical curriculum and CHIME is drawing on the experience gained through the Enterprise Project to find the best way to integrate informatics into this curriculum.

 

MissingLinkText

Keywords

Medical Informatics - Medical Education - Undergraduate Medical Curriculum

 

 

MissingLinkText

• References

• 1 Parsell GJ, Bligh J. The changing context of undergraduate medical education. Postgrad Med J 1995; 71: 397-403.
• 2 Schatz IJ. Changes in Undergraduate Medical Education: A critique. Arch Intern Med 1993; 153: 1045-52.
• 3 Rosenberg W, Donald A. Evidence based medicine: an approach to clinical problemsolving. Brit Med J 1995; 310: 1122-26.
• 4 Schmidt HG, Alausa OK. eds. New directions for medical education: Frontiers of primary care. New York: Springer-Verlag; 1989
• 5 Dacre JE. Teaching clinical skills. Med Educ Review Autumn 1992; 7.
• 6 General Medical Council. Tomorrow’s Doctors: Recommendations on Undergraduate Medical Education. London: General Medical Council; 1993
• 7 Murphy J. Education for Medical Informatics. Health Libraries Review 1994; 11: 167-76.
• 8 Dacre JE, Nicol M. Clinical Skills: Aleaming matrix for students. Abington Oxon: Radcliffe Medical Press; 1996
• 9 Cull P, Dacre J, Ingram D. A challenge for change. The clinical skills and self directed learning centre at St Bartholomew’s Hospital. Computers in Teaching Initiative, Centre for Medicine. Update 1992; 3: 16
• 10 Weed LL. The premises and tools of medical care and medical education: perspectives over 40 years. In:. Blum BI, Duncan K. eds. A History of Medical lnfonnatics.. New York: Addison-Wesley; 1990: 223-49.
• 11 Ingram D. The Good European Health Record Project. Proceedings of the AIMCEN European Workshop on the Medical Record.. Brussels: EC; 1993
• 12 Murphy J, Griffith S, Duddle J, Machado M. Educational Requirements of GEHR Architecture & Systems, GEHR Project A2014.DeliverableNo9,StBartholomew’s Hospital Medical College. 1993
• 13 Murphy J, Griffith S, Ingram D. How can electronic healthcare records benefit clinical students? In:. Richards B. et al eds. Current Perspectives in Healthcare Computing.. Surrey: BJHC Ltd,; 1995: 162-72.
• 14 Murphy J. Teaching and Learning Medicine in they ear 2000: The Impact of Electronic Learning Resources (In press. To be published in Proceedings for the CTI Centre for Medicine Conference: Production and Delivery of Computer Based Learning, Bristol, September. 1995
• 15 Griffith S, Murphy J, Southgate LJ. Unlocking the potential of clinical records as a resource for medical education. In:. Rothman AI, Cohen R. eds. Proceedings of the Sixth Ottawa Conference on Medical Education.. Toronto: University of Toronto; 1995: 554-6.
• 16 Enterprise in Higher Education. City and East London Confederation for Medicine and Dentistry. Annual Reports 1991-1996.
• 17 Osman LM, Muir AL. Computer skills and attitudes to computer-aided learning among medical students. Med Educ 1994; 28: 381-5.
• 18 Jones RB. et al Computer literacy among medical, dental, nursing and veterinary undergraduates. MedEduc 1991; 25: 191-5.
• 19 Wykurz GP. Community Partnership in the Assessment of Community-Based Learning. In:. Rothman AI, Cohen R. eds. Proceedings of the Sixth Ottawa Conference on Medical Education.. Toronto: University of Toronto; 1995: 572-6.
• 20 Jolly BC. et al. Reliability and validity of a patient based workbook for assessment of clinical and communication skills. In:. Rothman AI, Cohen R. eds. Proceedings of the Sixth Ottawa Conference on Medical Education.. Toronto: University of Toronto; 1995: 248-52.
• 21 Howard W, Williams B. Computer Based Learning via The Internet: The problems of reaching the masses. Poster presented at the CTI Centre for Medicine Conference, September. 1995 http://www.chime.ucl.ac.uk/ECDU/Posters/CTICM95/
• 22 Harris GA. Project Work for Medical Students with Employers in Fields Related to Medicine. In:. Rothman AI, Cohen R. eds. Proceedings of the Sixth Ottawa Conference on Medical Education.. Toronto: University of Toronto; 1995: 577-81.
• 23 Murphy J, Curtis R, Green S. Training in Medical Informatics: findings from UK survey. In:. Richards B. ed. Current Perspectives in Healthcare Computing.. Sur-Education and Training vey: BJHC Ltd; 1994: 812.
• 24 Ingram D, Southgate L, Heard S, Doyle L, Kalra D. et al. GEHR Requirements for Ethical and Legal Acceptability. The Good European Health Record Project, Deliverable No.8. AIM Office, Brussels 1993
• 25 Saunders L, Ingram D, Jackson SJ. Human Drug Kinetics. Oxford: University Press; 1989
• 26 Murphy J. Staff Development in Relation to Computer-Based Learning. In:. Towle A. ed. Effecting change through staff development: Sharing Ideas 2.. London: Kings Fund Centre; 1993: 30-2.
• 27 Peacock A, Howard W, Ingram D. Digital video: what, when and why? A practical overview for multimedia authors, based on case studies. (ln press. To be published in Proceedings for the CTI Centre for Medicine Conference: Production and Delivery of Computer Based Learning, Bristol, September. 1995 http://www.chime.ucl.ac.uk/ECDU/Papers/ CTICM95/
• 28 NHS Executive. Promoting Clinical Effectiveness: A framework for action in and through the NHS. 1996