Implementation of Health Informatics in Medical Education

Dr.T.V.Rao MD Professor of Microbiology Travancore Medical College, Kollam. Kerala

Health informatics is the constituent of Information and Communication Technology, the field that concerns itself with the cognitive, information processing and communication tasks of medical practice, education, and research, including the information science and the technology to support these tasks. It is an intrinsically interdisciplinary field, with a highly applied focus, but it also addresses a number of fundamental research problems as well as planning and policy issues. Academic units of medical informatics are being established with basis of Information and Communication Technology at a number of medical colleges and Institutions. Medical informatics professionals are being sought to serve on faculties and hospital staffs, and medical informatics emerging as a distinct academic entity. Information and communication technology is comprised of computers, networks, satellite communications, robotics, videotext, cable television, electronic mail ("e-mail"), and automated office equipment. Developments in information and communication technologies (ICT) have resulted in an increasing use of these technologies in the practice of medicine and in the provision of medical care. The gap between the developed and the developing world that exists in information and communication services is also present in a rather dramatic fashion in the health sector. The health sector is about fifteen years behind other sectors in application of information and communication technologies. Computers are increasingly affordable; they continue to be more powerful as information-processing tools as well as easier to use. The rapid emergence of the information and communication technology (ICT) sector has placed India on the global stage during the last one and a half decades, even competing with Developed Nation. Early academic units for "medical" or "health" informatics tended to focus on application of informatics to support clinical

practice and clinical research; often, at many well organised institutions, academic units devoted to bioinformatics and clinical informatics evolved separately. As we have to use information and communication technologies (ICT) in education but how to do so, and how to ensure equitable access for teachers and learners, ICT removes problems concerning space and time.Computers are increasingly used in medical education. Electronic learning (e-learning) is moving from textbooks in electronic format (that are increasingly enhanced by the use of multimedia adjuncts) to a truly interactive medium that can be delivered to meet the educational needs of students and postgraduate learners the students can communicate anywhere, any time the students can contact the teacher anywhere, any time the students can collect and exchange information anywhere, any time ICT gives access to knowledge in principle the students can draw on a global pool of knowledge ICT makes saving and sharing knowledge easier the students can, individually and/or together create records of notes and presentations (portfolio) and thus register their progress and use it for exams Several studies proved that empowering students with resources from ICT makes Learning for Life Awareness of learning strategies Acting responsibly in improving the personal and professional standards Adopting to increasingly globalized world Communication of knowledge across geographical and cultural borders makes the strengths of ours to global population. Formulating his/her own goals for the learning process Controlling the personal learning process

 Finding relevant information Organizing and formulating knowledge on their own Production of knowledge rather than just re-production. The following are identified as important challenges, and should be incorporated and addressed in the curriculum and training.

The first challenge We have to prepare future physicians for the changing behaviours of patients, who are increasingly Internet-savvy and who sometimes appear to know more about their diseases than their own teachers. The second challenge This is closely linked to the first, is to raise awareness among physicians and Medical students in training of the many benefits of using ICT to Improve not only the quality of interventions and health care delivery but, from a broader perspective, the organization of the health care system itself The third challenge Is to motivate medical students and practitioners to use ICT to find information, learn and develop. It is proposed that information Literacy should be a mandatory skill for all medical students. The e-learning mode of training is also addressed. Although underemployed in most medical faculties, it represents the future of initial and continuous medical training. Virtual resources and communities, simulations and 3D animations are also discussed. The fourth challenge. A further challenge inherent to the use of ICT in medical education is how to implement this innovation into teaching and learning Information literacy

Should be considered a mandatory skill in the training of all physicians. E-learning, although not yet very widespread in, Medical education, represents the future of initial and continuous medical training. Tools such as virtual simulators, 3D animations, and virtual communities and e-portfolios are important innovations that will have a growing impact on medical education and practice
Objectives: To train all the Medical students and Faculty in the Medical information and Technology All the Medical students and Faculty should be trained in the following topics with necessary lectures and Demonstration on 1 Computer and power of computers in the science and medicine 2 Use of Internet, Modern methods in Internet search 3 Information and communication technology for Medical professionals 4. Retrieval of Medical information 5. e-learning in Medicine 6. Podcasting and Video casting in Medicine 7. Contributing and sharing our knowledge on World Wide Web. Information and Communication Technologies have become an essential part of modern healthcare delivery system to gain greater efficiency, reduce overall health care and patient safety, as per the research analysis the implementation of interoperable health IT improves individual patient care and results effectively in public health benefits including early detection of infectious diseases, out brakes around the country. India is going for rapid expansion of Medical colleges and Institutions, Many senior teachers have to adapt to newer methods of training and teaching the students or else it is difficult to cope up with the speed of changes taking place in every branch of Medicine. Medical

informatics certainly helps to fill the gaps in teaching methods. Training our Medicos in ICT will change the perceptions of Health care and Delivery system. Email; doctortvrao@gmail.com