234135 Overview of Public Health Informatics Programs and Competencies

Tuesday, November 9, 2010 : 10:30 AM - 10:50 AM

David Potenziani, PhD , Senior Associate Dean, UNC Gillings School of Public Health, Chapel Hill, NC
Herman D. Tolentino, MD , Adjunct Associate, School of Public health, Health Policy and Administration, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL
  
The onrush of information technology into the clinical areas of healthcare is creating opportunities for public health practitioners to take advantage of health information technology (HIT). The efforts of the federal government in funding HIT adoption in the Health Information Technology for Economic and Clinical Health (HITECH) provision of the American Recovery and Reconstruction Act offer strong support for training programs and development of information exchanges with the goal of “meaningful use” of health information technologies. This session offers a basic overview of the emerging landscape of public health informatics: what it is, what it contains, and how it can empower public health practitioners.

The session also offers an overview of a public health information systems application, the North Carolina Bio-Preparedness Collaborative, and its integration into the statewide health information exchange.

Learning Areas:
Communication and informatics

Learning Objectives:
Define public health informatics and recognize its importance to public health practice. Describe the Data-Information-Knowledge paradigm as it relates to public health practice. Describe the competencies required by public health informaticians to participate effectively in the implementation of health information exchanges.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have 20 years of experience in information technology with the last 10 in health information technology. I have a faculty appointment and have taught a course in the business issues for information technology in health care. I'm Executive Director of the NCBio-Preparedness Collaborative.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4097.1: Overview of Public Health Information Systems and the Role of Public Health Informaticians In the Implementation of Health Information Exchanges - Part 1