Challenges in the evolution of the medical informatics program at heidelberg/heilbronn (Germany).

OBJECTIVE: Health and medical informatics (HMI) is an evolving discipline. Therefore, evolving educational programs in HMI have to take a variety of requirements into account. The aim of this paper is to analyze these requirements and to compare them with the medical informatics program Heidelberg/Heilbronn, Germany. METHODS: Systematic analysis of the IMIA recommendations on educating HMI, the Bologna declaration, current technological and health care developments and the results of graduates surveys. RESULTS: The latest revision of the Heidelberg/Heilbronn medical informatics program not only takes current developments into account but also realizes the IMIA recommendations, the Bologna declaration and graduates' data and feedback obtained in structured surveys. The topics bioinformatics, IT security and telemedicine were strengthened, taking major research and application trends into account. The program has been transformed into a consecutive bachelor/master program. It qualifies its graduates to work in the field of medical informatics as well as in informatics. CONCLUSIONS: Medical informatics is a very broad field. Programs have to make concessions to scope: It is not possible to provide profound knowledge and skills in computer science and also teach a variety of application areas like bioinformatics, public health informatics and clinical informatics in depth within one medical informatics program. Many graduate programs in various nations concentrate on providing HMI skills to health care professionals.

Challenges and perspectives of computer-assisted instruction in medical education: lessons learned from seven years of experience with the CAMPUS system.

OBJECTIVES: In this paper we discuss solutions to the problem that medical teachers and students do not use modern computer-assisted instruction systems in medical education as much as expected by their developers. METHODS: As an example for a modern problem-based CAI system we introduce the CAMPUS shell system for case-based training in medicine. RESULTS: CAMPUS has received several awards and positive evaluation results. Nevertheless, the usage of such systems in courses and for self-study could be increased. CONCLUSIONS: Curricular integration of CAI as well as further improvements on existing CAI systems to increase the usage in medical education is essential.

Medical informatics at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: status-evaluation-new challenges in a specialised curriculum for medical informatics after thirty years of evolution.

After reporting on characteristics, structure and contents of the specialised informatics-based curriculum for medical informatics (MI) at the University of Heidelberg/University of Applied Sciences Heilbronn, the paper describes the development during the last 5 years, and in particular a complementary health care oriented postgraduate program in 'Health Information Management' (IM). Furthermore, it outlines results of a study among the MI graduates, which aims to assess their job situation and to evaluate the curriculum from their viewpoint and so establishes a summary of 30 years of experience with the program. Finally, the paper discusses new challenges of the program, considering the results of the study, perspectives of health care provision in the next decade, content changes to be focused on and the growing competition in the field of programs for medical informatics.

Medical informatics specialists: what are their job profiles? Results of a study on the first 1024 medical informatics graduates of the Universities of Heidelberg and Heilbronn.

OBJECTIVES: Since 1972, the University of Heidelberg and the University of Applied Sciences Heilbronn have jointly been running a medical informatics program. To continuously provide high quality education, the curriculum is regularly evaluated among its graduates. The objectives of this study were to assess the job situation of the graduates and to evaluate the curriculum from their viewpoint. METHOD: Anonymous inquiry of all medical informatics graduates, having finished their studies before March 31, 2001 (n=1024) using a structured questionnaire. RESULTS: The questionnaire was answered by 446 (compliance: 45.5%) graduates. About one third (146 of 444 valid cases) are working in software/hardware companies. 179 (43.0% of 416 valid cases) graduates are working within medical informatics, 214 (51.4%) are working outside of medical informatics, but within other informatics. 23 (5.5%) graduates are working neither in medical nor in other informatics. 15 percent of the responding graduates have received a doctor's degree. Software engineering, database and information systems are regarded as most important parts of the education. The majority of the graduates are satisfied with their education as well as with their personal career. CONCLUSIONS: The variety of jobs, the job profiles, and the high level of our graduates' satisfaction with their education indicate the relevance of specialized medical informatics programs with a curricular profile like the one in Heidelberg/Heilbronn. Investigations like this can help to adjust the contents of the curriculum to professional needs.

The medical informatics curriculum at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn: new developments in its 5th revision.

We report about new developments in the 5th version of the medical informatics program at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn, reflect our approaches for the revision and discuss our current curriculum in relationship to other curricula in health informatics and medical informatics. The specialised university curriculum for medical informatics at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn is one of the oldest educational approaches in the field of medical informatics. During more than 25 years approx. 1000 students graduated. The program belongs to the category of dedicated master programs for medical informatics and is based on the concept of medical informatics as a medical discipline of its own. It covers the total spectrum of medical informatics ranging from information systems in health care, biosignal and medical image processing, medical documentation, to information and knowledge processing in medicine. It is a 4.5 years program with a strong emphasis on the methodological foundations of medical informatics and on practical education in a number of specific laboratories. For the 5th version of the Heidelberg/Heilbronn curriculum on medical informatics, having started at winter semester 1997/98, we hope to have reflected the evolution of medical informatics as a separate discipline, moving one step further towards educating medical informatics, and not 'just' medicine and informatics.

IPHIE: an International Partnership in Health Informatics Education.

Medical informatics contributes significantly to high quality and efficient health care and medical research. The need for well educated professionals in the field of medical informatics therefore is now worldwide recognized. Students of medicine, computer science/informatics are educated in the field of medical informatics and dedicated curricula on medical informatics have emerged. To advance and further develop the beneficial role of medical informatics in the medical field, an international orientation of health and medical informatics students seems an indispensable part of their training. An international orientation and education of medical informatics students may help to accelerate the dissemination of acquired knowledge and skills in the field and the promotion of medical informatics research results on a more global level. Some years ago, the departments of medical informatics of the university of Heidelberg/university of applied sciences Heilbronn and the university of Amsterdam decided to co-operate in the field of medical informatics. Now, this co-operation has grown out to an International Partnership of Health Informatics Education (IPHIE) of 5 universities, i.e. the university of Heidelberg, the university of Heilbronn, the university of Minnesota, the university of Utah and the university of Amsterdam. This paper presents the rationale behind this international partnership, the state of the art of the co-operation and our future plans for expanding this international co-operation.

Twenty Five Years of Medical Informatics Education at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: Discussion of a Specialized Curriculum for Medical Informatics.

The specialized university curriculum for medical informatics (MI) at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn is one of the oldest educational approaches in the field of medical informatics, and has been successful for 25 years with about 1,000 graduates (Diplom-lnformatikerin der Medizin or Diplomlnformatiker der Medizin). It belongs to the category of dedicated master's programs for medical informatics and is based on the concept of medical informatics as a medical discipline in its own right. The curriculum is oriented towards the total spectrum of medical informatics ranging from health care economics, biosignal and medical image processing, medical documentation, to information and knowledge processing in medicine. It is a 4.5-year program with strong emphasis on the methodological foundations of medical informatics and on practical education in a number of specific laboratories. Thirty-five students are admitted each semester, and in total about 440 students are enrolled. The faculty consists of 17 full-time members and about 25 parttime lecturers.We report on characteristics, structure and contents of the new 5th version of the curriculum and discuss the features of a specialized curriculum for medical informatics with respect to the challenges for medical informatics in the 21st century.

Web-based training: a new paradigm in computer-assisted instruction in medicine.

Computer-assisted instruction (CAI) programs based on internet technologies, especially on the world wide web (WWW), provide new opportunities in medical education. The aim of this paper is to examine different aspects of such programs, which we call 'web-based training (WBT) programs', and to differentiate them from conventional CAI programs. First, we will distinguish five different interaction types: presentation; browsing; tutorial dialogue; drill and practice; and simulation. In contrast to conventional CAI, there are four architectural types of WBT programs: client-based; remote data and knowledge; distributed teaching; and server-based. We will discuss the implications of the different architectures for developing WBT software. WBT programs have to meet other requirements than conventional CAI programs. The most important tools and programming languages for developing WBT programs will be listed and assigned to the architecture types. For the future, we expect a trend from conventional CAI towards WBT programs.

Twenty five years of medical informatics education at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: discussion of a specialized curriculum for medical informatics.

The specialized university curriculum for medical informatics (MI) at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn is one of the oldest educational approaches in the field of MI and has been successful now for 25 years with about 1000 graduates (Diplom-Informatikerin der Medizin or Diplom-Informatiker der Medizin). It belongs to the category of dedicated master's programs for MI and is based on the concept of MI as a medical discipline of its own. It is oriented towards the total spectrum of MI ranging from health care economics, biosignal and medical image processing, medical documentation, to information and knowledge processing in medicine. It is a 4.5 years program with a strong emphasis on the methodological foundations of MI and on practical education in a number of specific laboratories. A total of 35 students are admitted each semester and in total about 440 students are enrolled. The faculty consists of 17 full-time members and about 25 part-time lecturers. The authors report on characteristics, structure and contents of the new fifth version of the curriculum and discuss the features of a specialized curriculum for MI with respect to the challenges for MI in the 21st century.

[Computer-based training--a new method in surgical education and continuing education]. / Computer-basiertes Training--Ein neuer Weg der chirurgischen Aus- und Weiterbildung.

Computer-based training (CBT) programs teach the material of a specific field and at the same time offer various ways of objectively checking the knowledge gained. The interactive use of multimedia components, such as text, graphics, animation, sound, digital slide shows, videos and quizzes, facilitates the learning process. The aim of this study was the development and evaluation of a CBT program for use by surgeons teaching students. Using SuperCard, a teaching module for distal radius fracture (DRF) was developed, containing detailed clinical information. Video clips and vivid animation combine theoretical knowledge with practical experience. Fourth-year medical students (n = 103) were tested after using the module for 90 min. Other students (n = 47) served as the control group. In a 90-min lecture, DRF was discussed. In all evaluated criteria (distinctness, detailed description, presentation of materials, structure, motivation to learn, time saved while learning and memory retention), CBT gained 15-20% better scores than the lecture. Although 87% of the students stated that their experience with computers was limited or insufficient, 100% found the use of CBT systems helpful in student teaching. Most of them suggested the use of such programs as a exam preparation/self study method (90%) or as a supplement to a lecture (40%). Based on these evaluations, it is clear that CBT modules are an appropriate future teaching and learning system that will be well accepted. In conclusion, CBT programs should be integrated into medical education as a valuable supplement. With this aim, CBT systems should be developed and used at universities as an information system for the surgical residency program.

Health and medical informatics education.

Health and medical informatics education has meanwhile gained considerable importance for medicine and for health care. Specialized programs in health/medical informatics have therefore been established within the last decades. This special issue of Methods of Information in Medicine contains papers on health and medical informatics education. It is mainly based on selected papers from the 5th Working Conference on Health/Medical Informatics Education of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA), which was held in September 1992 at the University of Heidelberg/Technical School Heilbronn, Germany, as part of the 20 years' celebration of medical informatics education at Heidelberg/Heilbronn. Some papers were presented on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of the health information science program of the School of Health Information Science at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. Within this issue, programs in health/medical informatics are presented and analyzed: the medical informatics program at the University of Utah, the medical informatics program of the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn, the health information science program at the University of Victoria, the health informatics program at the University of Minnesota, the health informatics management program at the University of Manchester, and the health information management program at the University of Alabama. They all have in common that they are dedicated curricula in health/medical informatics which are university-based, leading to an academic degree in this field. In addition, views and recommendations for health/medical informatics education are presented. Finally, the question is discussed, whether health and medical informatics can be regarded as a separate discipline with the necessity for specialized curricula in this field.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Curriculum for medical informatics at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn.

The specialized university curriculum for medical informatics at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn described in this paper is one of the oldest educational approaches in the field of medical informatics, and has been successful for more than 20 years with more than 600 graduates (Diplom-Informatiker der Medizin). It is based on the concept of medical informatics as an independent medical discipline, and covers the total spectrum ranging from health care economics, biosignal and medical image processing, model building in medicine, to information and knowledge processing in medicine. It is a program of 4.5 years duration with a strong emphasis on the methodological foundations of medical informatics and on practical education in a number of specific laboratories. Thirty-five students are admitted each semester, and in total about 390 students enrolled. The faculty consists of 17 full-time members and about 25 part-time lecturers.

Twenty years medical informatics education at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: evolution of a specialized curriculum for medical informatics.

The medical informatics curriculum at University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn started in 1972 as a specialized university curriculum. In this paper, we report on 20 years of experience and the evolution of this educational approach with respect to structure and content of the curriculum. We emphasize that this evolution parallels the development of medical informatics to a medical discipline in its own right, with distinct application domains and specific methodological approaches. Based on our experience and on recommendations from the national and international community, we describe and discuss the features of the curriculum.

Medical informatics Heidelberg/Heilbronn: graduates' experiences and job situation. An inquiry among graduates having completed the curriculum of medical informatics at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn.

On the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the curriculum of medical informatics at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn, a written and anonymous inquiry was carried out in March 1992 among the entirety of graduates from the curriculum. The aim of the inquiry was to obtain from the graduates of the curriculum information about their current places of employment, their fields of work, the state of continuing education as well as about their professional position. It was, in addition, intended to obtain from the graduates' point of view an assessment of the education received during their studies as well as an assessment of the job situation. A questionnaire was sent to all persons having completed their studies by that time (n = 567, as of 1.1.1992). 62.2% of the forms were returned duly filled in; 92.2% of the graduates are employed. 44.5% out of them are working within the field of medical informatics, 53.0% are working outside medical informatics but within the sector of informatics and 2.2% in other fields; 0.3% were without indication. As far as places of employment are concerned, enterprises concentrating on hardware and software development rank first, followed by hospitals and medical institutions affiliated to universities. As far as fields of work are concerned, information systems within the health care sector (especially hospital information systems) as well as medical documentation predominate in the group of those employed within medical informatics, whereas among those not working within medical informatics software engineering as well as database systems and information systems prevail.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Twenty Years Medical Informatics Education at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: Evolution of a Specialized Curriculum.

The medical informatics curriculum at University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn started in 1972 as a specialized university curriculum. In this paper, we report on 20 years of experience and the evolution of this educational approach with respect to structure and content of the curriculum. We emphasize that this evolution parallels the development of medical informatics to a medical discipline in its own right, with distinct application domains and specific methodological approaches. Based on our experience and on recommendations from the national and international community, we describe and discuss the features of the curriculum.

Recommendations of the German Association for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology for education and training in medical informatics.

In the fields of health care and medicine there is an immense demand for a systematic application of methods of information processing and for the use of computers. Obviously, to that end well-trained scientists and qualified personnel must be available. With the present recommendations on education and training in medical informatics the German Association for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology (GMDS) proposes structure and contents of medical informatics curricula and courses. The recommendations describe a 2-dimensional educational framework with different education levels in one dimension and various types of educational needs and orientation in the other one. The recommendations comprise at the university level education as well specialized curricula covering the total spectrum of medical informatics as well as informatics curricula with medical informatics as integrated applied subject or subsidiary subject, respectively. Besides these informatics-oriented approaches medical-oriented programs of education in medical informatics are recommended, e.g., post-graduate education in medical informatics for physicians based on foundations in medical informatics as part of their initial training in medicine. At the level of polytechnical schools curricula of medical documentation and informatics and at the level of professional schools training in medical documentation are recommended. This report is a translation of its German original. Although considered by the GMDS as recommendations for the Federal Republic of Germany, the text may also contribute to the development of an international, especially European framework of training in medical informatics.

Software engineering education in medical informatics.

Requirements and approaches of Software Engineering education in the field of Medical Informatics are described with respect to the impact of (1) experiences characterizing the "software misery", (2) status and tendencies in software methodology, and (3) educational status and needs in computer science education influenced by the controversy "theoretical versus practical education". Special attention is directed toward the growing importance of analysis, design methods, and techniques in the professional spectrum of Medical Informatics, the relevance of general principles of systems engineering in health care, the potential of non-procedural programming paradigms, and the intersection of Artificial Intelligence and education. Realizations of and experiences with programs in the field of Software Engineering are reported with respect to special requirements in Medical Informatics.