Digital Health Information Services (HLTH90020)
Graduate courseworkPoints: 12.5Online
For information about the University’s phased return to campus and in-person activity in Winter and Semester 2, please refer to the on-campus subjects page.
Please refer to the LMS for up-to-date subject information, including assessment and participation requirements, for subjects being offered in 2020.
Overview
| Availability | Semester 2 - Online |
|---|---|
| Fees | Look up fees |
This subject provides knowledge and skills to support the work of information service managers, educators and researchers in many health settings. It introduces influences on good practice in health library and information services in the era of digital health. These influences include health informatics, digital health literacy, health research data management, trends in biomedical publishing, and the proliferation of information available in electronic formats, in bibliographic databases and on the Internet.
This subject offers an overview of the demand for information services in the health sciences and healthcare environment, and the diverse health information resources used by researchers, care providers, administrators, patients and members of the public. It gives guidelines for working with medical search terminology, explores the landscape of biomedical literature and provides insights into the significance of evidence-based practice.
This subject runs in partnership with Health Libraries Australia, for new and aspiring health librarians, and is recommended for Australian Library and Information Association members to specialise in this field.
This subject has four major topics and assessable activities:
1. Understanding the Australian healthcare environment, and the related information needs of health information service users. Students conduct a structured interview with a practicing health librarian, health information service manager, or consultant.
2. Navigating major health information producers and products, including availability of and access to resources, planning health information searches and summarising search results. Students prepare a report on analysing a realistic client information need and resolving it using these resources.
3. Becoming an evidence-based practice specialist in the healthcare environment, including applying EBP to continuous quality improvement in a range of healthcare contexts. Students undertake critical appraisal of two research articles relevant to a specific scenario concerning safety and quality of care.
4. Using health knowledge management technologies - e.g. for learning management, research data management, business intelligence and decision-making - including principles and practical considerations for their selection, implementation and evaluation. Students produce a desk assessment of a currently available digital health knowledge management product or service.
Intended learning outcomes
- Analyse ways that policies, issues and trends in health care and biomedical research influence stakeholders' information needs
- Apply core principles and good practices related to providing health information services that meet specific user needs
- Relate current research evidence from a range of disciplines to improving the performance of current health information services
- Reflect on the implications of specific digital health knowledge management technologies for the future of health information services
Generic skills
- Self-directed learning within a shared group timetable
- Information sharing in virtual classroom settings
- Preparation and presentation of professional reports
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Eligibility and requirements
Prerequisites
None
Corequisites
None
Non-allowed subjects
None
Recommended background knowledge
Inherent requirements (core participation requirements)
The University of Melbourne is committed to providing students with reasonable adjustments to assessment and participation under the Disability Standards for Education (2005), and the Assessment and Results Policy (MPF1326). Students are expected to meet the core participation requirements for their course. These can be viewed under Entry and Participation Requirements for the course outlines in the Handbook.
Further details on how to seek academic adjustments can be found on the Student Equity and Disability Support website: http://services.unimelb.edu.au/student-equity/home
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Assessment
Due to the impact of COVID-19, assessment may differ from that published in the Handbook. Students are reminded to check the subject assessment requirements published in the subject outline on the LMS
| Description | Timing | Percentage |
|---|---|---|
Individual report of findings from a structured one-to-one interview with a practising health information service manager (interview questions will be assigned; interview subject will be assigned or can be negotiated).
| Week 3 | 25% |
Individual report on interpretation, approach and findings in response to a specific request for health information (request for information will be assigned).
| Week 6 | 25% |
Individual report on critical appraisal of two research articles (articles may be chosen from a list provided).
| Week 9 | 25% |
Individual report on structured review of a digital health knowledge management product or service (systems for review may be chosen from a list provided or can be negotiated).
| Week 12 | 25% |
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Dates & times
- Semester 2 - Online
Mode of delivery Online Contact hours No on-campus contact hours are required. Approximately 6-8 hours per week of online interaction with learning materials. Work can be done asynchronously. Sequentially over a 12 week period, students engage in at least 20 hours of structured online interaction in the Learning Management System about each of the 4 major topics, i.e. 20 hours x 4), including webinars, discussion forums and online polling; PLUS 120 hours independent learning: Sequentially over a 12 week period, students undertake at least 10 hours of independent learning beyond the Learning Management System, about each of the four major topics, including recommended readings, formulating questions and comments, gathering and synthesising information for assigned work. Total time commitment 200 hours Teaching period 3 August 2020 to 1 November 2020 Last self-enrol date 14 August 2020 Census date 21 September 2020 Last date to withdraw without fail 16 October 2020 Assessment period ends 27 November 2020 Semester 2 contact information
Kathleen Gray
Time commitment details
200 hours
Last updated: 3 November 2022
Further information
- Texts
- Available through the Community Access Program
About the Community Access Program (CAP)
This subject is available through the Community Access Program (also called Single Subject Studies) which allows you to enrol in single subjects offered by the University of Melbourne, without the commitment required to complete a whole degree.
Please note Single Subject Studies via Community Access Program is not available to student visa holders or applicants
Entry requirements including prerequisites may apply. Please refer to the CAP applications page for further information.
- Available to Study Abroad and/or Study Exchange Students
Last updated: 3 November 2022