I have been teaching Healthcare Informatics to MBA students for the past 3 years. Last time, the classes where conducted in class. With Covid-19 pandemic struck the world, it too has changed the way I delivered the subject. 

Health informatics refers to the acquisition, storage, retrieval and use of healthcare information to ensure optimal collaboration between patients and their healthcare providers. It is a vital part of healthcare reform, representing an evolving specialization that links healthcare, communications, and information technology (IT) to improve the quality and safety of patient care.

Information systems (IS) constitute the source of many of the problems in the healthcare industry. Healthcare  is one of the most transaction intensive industries, given all the encounters between patients and providers, providers  and other providers, providers and insurers, suppliers and providers. Providers here mean doctors, nurses, the healthcare management and all the facilties. Yet, compared to other industries, healthcare has historically been underinvested in IS. I still remember in my classes, the doctors always complained about having lack of budget in IS development. And in my recent BIS class, even a vendor for MOH also talks about the same thing! 

Health informatics professionals are increasingly in-demand as the healthcare systems in the country undergo a major transformation. Trained professionals may work in consulting roles, for vendors, or as employees of a healthcare facility or provider. For those who are already in the healthcare field (e.g., nursing), leadership positions afforded by a degree in health informatics can give them an opportunity to be a part of this rapidly evolving field.

Through work experience and education, health informatics management professionals gain a number of skills to enable a number of medical and health care settings to operate effectively. As the demand in the health care industry and reliance on information technology continue to grow, qualified professionals to manage informatics will also increase.

In this course, students will be exposed to design thinking approach in indentifying patients’ experience and coming up with innovative solutions of patient-centric application.