NIHI - McMaster CE Microcredential Course

 

Instructors
Dominic Covvey FACMI, FHIMSS, FCIPS, SMIEEE, ITCP, President & Director, National Institutes of Health Informatics; Adjunct Professor, University of Waterloo
David Zitner FCFP, CCFP, MD, MA, Retired Family Physician; Founding Director, Medical Informatics, Dalhousie University

This course is the first course in the series Clinical Fundamentals for Non-Clinicians. A crucial competency Health Informaticians and other non-clinical professionals in the health system require is knowledge of the system, its parts, its people, its functions – including diagnosis, treatment, recordkeeping and the evaluation of the effectiveness of interventions – as well as the strengths and weaknesses of each of these. This is also basic knowledge for other professionals working in the health sector.

The series will help the participant develop a useful understanding of health, sickness and the care system, including strategies for diagnosing rare and common problems, understanding test results, and evaluating treatments.

Upon completion you will be awarded a NIHI - McMaster CE digital microcredential. A microcredential can be shared online on a resume, portfolio, or website such as LinkedIn, providing official certification of skills and capabilities.

Topics covered:

• Understanding the Nature of Health and the Purposes of Health Care.
• Understanding the Science and Art of Medicine and the Importance of Biomarkers.
• Understanding Why and How We Must Measure Health, and the Treatment Wager.
• Understanding the Patient Encounter, Diagnosis, Treatment and Effectiveness.
• Understanding Testing: What is Useful Testing and Where the Dangers Lurk.
• How to find and to assess quality health information.
• What evidence and critical evaluation are about.
• Understanding NNT (the Number Needed to Treat) and the NNH (the number Needed to Harm) – addressed on NNT.com
• Understanding the etiologies of disease.
• Appreciating that medical practice comprises both science and art.

Learning Objectives

• Understand and begin to work in collaboration with clinicians.
• Define processes and systems that make a real difference in the work of clinicians and the care of patients.
• Communicate with clinicians from a position of familiarity with the nature of the work they do.
• Influence the evaluation of the effects and effectiveness of informational processes.
• Plan the deepening of their knowledge and skills to be able to more intensely collaborate with clinicians.

Intended Audience

• Health informaticians
• Other non-clinical professionals in the health system that require knowledge of the system, its parts, its people, and its functions.
• Professionals supporting the health sector including health-related government agencies and non-government organizations.
• Private industry management and staff providing services supporting the health system.
• Healthcare Leaders such as C-suite executives, Directors, and Managers.
• Anyone wanting to improve their understanding of how best to evaluate and use evaluations in Informatics systems.