Twenty Five Years of Medical Informatics Education at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: Discussion of a Specialized Curriculum for Medical Informatics

F.J. Leven; R. Haux

doi:10.1055/s-0038-1637951

Yearbook of Medical Informatics, Table of Contents

Yearb Med Inform 2000; 09(01): 120-127
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1637951

Research and Education

Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart

Twenty Five Years of Medical Informatics Education at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: Discussion of a Specialized Curriculum for Medical Informatics

Authors

F.J. Leven

¹Department of Medical Informatics, University of Applied Sciences, Heilbronn, Germany
R. Haux

²Department of Medical Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Heidelberg, Germany

Abstract

The specialized university curriculum for medical informatics (MI) at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn is one of the oldest educational approaches in the field of medical informatics, and has been successful for 25 years with about 1,000 graduates (Diplom-Informatikerin der Medizin or Diplom-Informatiker der Medizin). It belongs to the category of dedicated master’s programs for medical informatics and is based on the concept of medical informatics as a medical discipline in its own right. The curriculum is oriented towards the total spectrum of medical informatics ranging from health care economics, biosignal and medical image processing, medical documentation, to information and knowledge processing in medicine. It is a 4.5-year program with strong emphasis on the methodological foundations of medical informatics and on practical education in a number of specific laboratories. Thirty-five students are admitted each semester, and in total about 440 students are enrolled. The faculty consists of 17 full-time members and about 25 part-time lecturers. We report on characteristics, structure and contents of the new 5th version of the curriculum and discuss the features of a specialized curriculum for medical informatics with respect to the challenges for medical informatics in the 21st century.

Keywords

Medical informatics - health informatics - curriculum - education - training

Full Text

References

References
1 Raux R, Leven FJ, Moehr JR, Protti DJ. eds Special issue on Health and Medical Informatics Education . Meth Inform Med. 1994: 33
2 Frey W, Raux R, Leiner D, Leven FJ. Working fields of medical informatics graduates from Heidelberg/Heilbronn. Meth Inform Med 1994; 33: 290-8.
3 Haux R, Dudeck J, Gaus W, Leven FJ. et al. Recommendations of the German Association of Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology on education in medical informatics. Meth Inform Med 1992; 31: 60-70.
4 Hasman A. et al. A systematic view on medical informatics. Comput Meth Progr Bio 1996; 51: 131-9.
5 Haux R. Medical Informatics: Once more towards systematization. Meth Inform Med 1996; 35: 189-92.
6 Hasman A. Challenges for medical informatics in the 21st century. Int J Med Inform 1997; 44: 1-7.
7 Haux R. Aims and tasks of medical informatics. Int J Med Inform 1997; 44: 9-20.
8 Zertifikat Medizinische Informatik, 3rd ed, Informatik Biometrie und Epidemiologie. Med u Biol 1993; 24: 28-38.
9 Haux R, Leven FJ. Twenty years medical informatics education at Heidelberg/Heilbronn: Evolution of a specialized curriculum for medical informatics. Meth Inform Med 1994; 33: 285-9.
10 Leven FJ. Software engineering education in medical informatics. Meth Inform Med 1989; 28: 295-303.
11 Victor N. The role of biometry in the training of medical informaticians. Meth Inform Med 1989; 28: 304-8.
12 Miihr JR, Leven FJ, Rothemund M. Formal education in medical informatics-Review of ten years’ experience with a specialized university curriculum. Meth Inform Med 1982; 21: 169-80.
13 Protti DJ, van Bemmei JH, Gunzenhauser R. et al. Can health/medical informatics be regarded as a separate discipline?. Meth Inform Med 1994; 33: 318-26. also published in Van Bemmel JH, McCray AT, eds. 1995 JMIA Yearbook of Medical Informatics. Stuttgart: Schattauer Verlag, 1995:617-25
14 Mohr JR. Health Informatics-a scientific challenge?. Meth Inform Med 1994; 33: 282-4.
15 Leven FJ. The curriculum for Medical Informatics at the University of Heidelberg/School of Technology Heilbronn. In Has man A, Albert A, Wainwright P, Klar R. eds Studies in Health Technology and Informatics . Amsterdam: IOS Press; 1995: 131-43.
16 Van Bemmel JH. Medical informatics, art orscience?. Meth in form Med 1996; 35: 157-72.
17 Hasman A, Albert A, Wainwright P, Klar R. eds Education and training in health informatics: guidelines for European curricula . Studies in Health Technology and Informatics . Amsterdam; IOS Press: 1995
18 Dickhaus H. A comparative summary of six health/medical informatics programs. Meth Inform Med 1994; 33: 254-7.
19 Dickhaus H. Education in signal and image processing in a medical informatics curriculum. In Van Bemmel JH, Zvarova J. eds Knowledge, Information and Medical Education . Amsterdam: North Holland Pub! Camp; 1991: 86-94.
20 Protti DJ. Health information science at the University of Victoria: The first ten years. Meth Inform Med 1994; 33: 268-72.