Omaha System partnerships: Public health informatics education

Health informatics and evidence-based practice are contemporary themes in baccalaureate nursing education required by national standards such as the Baccalaureate Essentials of Nursing Education (AACN). Educators are challenged to provide learning experiences integrating these themes. There are efforts to address this challenge, such as Quality and Safety Education for Nurses (QSEN), however, information on teaching content, methods and evaluation are lacking. This presentation describes an educational pilot integrating the Omaha System and evidence-based asthma practice into the content of an undergraduate health informatics course. Two nursing faculty and a state health department asthma coordinator adapted an undergraduate web-based course titled Health Informatics: Clinical and Public Health. Standardized language documentation (Omaha System) and pathways were integrated with core content on data standards, interoperability, and software applications. Asthma content was used throughout the course to illustrate informatics concepts. The course was implemented and evaluated with a pilot group of undergraduate students (n=60). Students participated in individual and community-level asthma care exemplars using Omaha System terminology. Process and outcome evaluation using mid-term and final course evaluations will guide future course improvements. Use of the Omaha System and asthma informatics resources effectively operationalize theoretical learning within a meaningful public health problem context. State health department and university partners are committed to enhancing the learning experience in the rapidly emerging field of informatics. Together faculty and public health leaders can prepare students for their future roles in informatics-supported public health systems.