Health Informatics

Master of Health Informatics

Information exchange is the core of a safe, efficient and effective health system. The underlying aim of the Master of Health Informatics program is to provide graduates with the required knowledge and skills to be able to understand and improve the way in which health care delivery and patient outcomes are enhanced through the effective use and exchange of information.

Health systems internationally are coming under increasing pressures driven by demographic, social and technological change. Existing models of health care delivery will not be sustainable in future decades. Information and communication technologies have a significant role to play in creating opportunities for new models of care delivery. Examples range from telemedicine applications supporting care delivery in the community to sophisticated clinical decision support systems accessible to clinicians at the point of care.

The Master of Health Informatics is intended to attract a diverse range of students with relevant undergraduate qualifications in health, computer science or related areas and provide them with the opportunity to complete an advanced program of study for entry to the health informatics profession. Reflecting the broad nature of health informatics the professional bodies associated with the profession are: the Australian College of Health Informaticians (www.achi.org.au); the Health Informatics Society of Australia (www.hisa.org.au) and the Health Information Management Association of Australia (www.himaa.org.au). The two key bodies internationally are the International Medical Informatics Association (www.imia.org) and the American Medical Informatics Association (www.amia.org).

The course focuses on three central knowledge areas: information and computer science, principles of health informatics, and research methods and analysis applied to health informatics. Each of these knowledge areas will underpin the philosophy of using information technology to improve quality, safety and cost efficiency of healthcare. The course consists of 12 compulsory units of study and four electives. It is delivered full time over two years or students may elect to enrol part time (part-time study may be approved following consultation with the course director). The program provides a range of delivery modes to suit part-time students. Students may receive credit transfer for core units of study; however credit transfer for electives must be replaced with alternative units of study. Electives can be chosen from across the University of Sydney and include offerings by the School of Information Technologies and the School of Public Health.

Admission requirements

In order to qualify for admission to the Master of Health Informatics, applicants shall have:

• a bachelor€™s degree from an Australian tertiary institution or equivalent in a health related area, such as medicine, nursing or allied health, or
• a bachelor€™s degree from an Australian tertiary institution or equivalent in a non-health related area, such as computer science or commerce. (In this case, students must complete two prescribed units of study as electives Fundamentals of Medical Terminology and Health Care System.)

Applicants should normally have a grade point average of at least 4.5 (approximately equivalent to a credit average or better) in their bachelor€™s degree.

Course outline

The course outline for the Master of Health Informatics is presented in Table 12.1. Unit descriptions and a list of faculty electives are found in Chapter 20. Students can also choose electives from the Schools of Public Health and Information Technologies.

Table 12.1: Master of Health Informatics

Course rules