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Learning Action: Redesigning the Health Information Systems Course

  • 1.  Learning Action: Redesigning the Health Information Systems Course

    Posted 07-29-2020 04:26:00 PM
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    Good Afternoon Everyone,

    I am writing in response to the call for COVID-19 Learning in Action posts.

    I teach the "Health Information Systems" course at GSU and, as we made the move online and continue to address the possibility of online content in the Fall, I have redesigned my course around Problem Based Learning with a focus on recent health IT (digital health) and COVID-19 related problems. These changes have complemented my earlier efforts toward shifting this course toward a focus on "Digital Health Strategy" (https://search.proquest.com/docview/2382721355?pq-origsite=gscholar&fromopenview=true), as opposed to simply listing and discussing various technological options for health care organizations during the course of a semester.

    As I have moved toward Digital Health Strategy with recent emphasis on Problem Based Learning, my online lectures or videos are now each focused on a singular health care problem or issue, either faced by a single organization or generally faced by a type of organization (e.g., U.S. hospitals). During class (or in a video viewed asynchronously), I/we discuss the background of the problem as well as potential options for moving forward. I also provide resources for gleaning additional information. Then, the students are asked to individually develop a case study write-up or problem analysis focusing on how they think the problem should be strategically addressed. The primary grading criteria, beyond the logical and grammatical quality of the submission, is whether or not they were able to successfully synthesize the various information provided toward development of a cohesive recommendation. 

    With this approach, I've been able to incorporate some interesting COVID-19 related problems including: 1) the challenge of sharing COVID-19 case data with public health agencies (e.g., https://hmpi.org/2020/05/26/health-information-sharing-and-exclusion-in-the-age-of-covid-19-georgia-state-5-26/), and 2) the challenge of determining which services would be most suitable for telehealth (vs. in-person only) (e.g., https://www.hhs.gov/sites/default/files/telehealth-faqs-508.pdf). Framing entire class discussions or videos around these problems, one at a time, allows me to present an interesting and timely problem, then provide background on topics such as health information exchange or telehealth, which are relevant in both pandemic and non-pandemic times, and then provide the students an opportunity to brainstorm solutions and synthesize what they have learned. While I have only implemented the Problem Based Learning approach in one of my classes so far (during my summer class), the reception has been positive and I am looking forward to continuing this approach with both my graduate and undergraduate health information systems classes in the Fall.

    This approach has also inspired me and another colleague to write a case considers digital health infrastructure related to COVID-19 preparedness and responsiveness here in the U.S. in comparison to that of what is available and planned in South Africa. We plan to provide this case to our students and ask them to provide policy recommendations for countries considering improving their digital health infrastructure for addressing COVID-19 and preparing for potential future pandemics.

    The most recent syllabus for my class is attached and I welcome feedback.

    Aaron

    Aaron Baird, Ph.D.
    Associate Professor
    Institute of Health Administration, and
    Dept. of Computer Information Systems
    Robinson College of Business, Georgia State University
    404-413-7639 | abaird@gsu.edu

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    Aaron Baird
    Associate Professor
    Georgia State University
    Atlanta GA
    404-413-7639
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