Karolinska Institutet, which is a world leading medical
university, is now disseminating its unique knowledge with the launch
of a massive open online course (MOOC) in the subject e-health. This is
an area in which Sweden and Karolinska Institutet are seen as role
models.
“Sweden is way ahead of the game
because we have a relatively large amount of experience of using IT in
healthcare. There is a great deal of accumulated knowledge here that we
now want to share”, says Professor Sabine Koch, the course coordinator.
Karolinska Institutet has long been aware of the
importance of understanding this field, and has been offering a master's
programme in the subject for the past five years. This has received
positive appraisals from both the European Commission and the
university's master's students, who testify that Karolinska Institutet
offers a unique platform within health informatics. In simple terms, it
is about building bridges between medicine and technology and making
information management in health and social care both safe and
effective. This requires substantial expertise, which is in plentiful
supply at the university.
In order to spread this unique knowledge on the
subject, the MOOC eHealth –Opportunities and Challenges is now being
launched. The course is being delivered via the non-profit international
education group edX, which started as a collaboration between Harvard
University and Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT).
The idea is to offer students from all over the
world an introduction to the field of e-health and its opportunities and
challenges from different perspectives. The MOOC will give students an
understanding of what health informatics is, and how it works. They will
learn about the factors contributing to success and the pitfalls
involved in the development and implementation of sustainable e-health
services. On completion of the course, students will have basic
knowledge of how various e-health strategies can be used in the specific
context they are in, and they will also have an understanding of what
e-health can mean to the individual patient.
“IT projects in the healthcare sector require
substantial expertise regarding the needs of the medical sector, as well
as an understanding of the strengths and weaknesses of the technology.
E-health can improve many aspects of the healthcare sector, but more
insight is needed into the inherent problems of this area. We will be
providing this knowledge in the course”, says Sabine Koch.
This e-health MOOC begins on the 22 April 2015, registration is taking place up until the course commences.
For more
information, please visit:
https://www.edx.org/course/ehealth-opportunities-challenges-kix-kiehealthx