A8:   Information technologies for the education of health professionals

Joseph W Hales Assistant Professor, Health Management and Informatics and Director of Health Informatics, University of Missouri-Columbia (USA)

Target level: BEGINNERS & INTERMEDIATES

This tutorial will provide a survey of the application of information technology to the education of health professionals. Examples from around the world of successful applications of simulation, computer-aided instruction, computer-based testing and information resources will be highlighted. Specific attention will be paid to demonstrations of state-of-the- art applications, principally from the education of health professionals, but also from other disciplines, in order to provide attendees with a sense what can be "built or bought" with current technology. Discussion will also focus on practical implementation issues that influence the impact of information technology in educational settings and their overall acceptance and success.

Learning objectives. As a result of participating in this tutorial, attendees will:

• be familiar with needs and barriers associated with training health professionals
• understand the educational tasks to which information technology can be applied (e.g. instruction, drill, assessment)
• understand the theoretical framework for building information technology solutions for educational support
• be familiar with specific applications that address the various educational tasks and how to obtain access to these for their own use
• be familiar with areas of current research in the use of information technology for educating health professionals.

In addition to lecture notes, attendees will also be provided with descriptions of a range of systems supporting the education of health professionals. Where systems are available, information for obtaining access to the system will also be provided.