This course will introduce the fundamental concepts of information and communication technology for those students with a health science background, but no formal training in computer or information technology. The course will cover material that is relevant to health informatics and focus on the understanding of hardware and software systems. We will emphasize on the proper design and specification of health information systems. We will provide you a sufficient background to understand the technical details of healthcare ICTs and apply this knowledge in the design and specification of systems.

Course goals: Learn how computers work, as well as file and data structure. Learn how computers and applications communicate over a network. Understand the methods and constraints for communicating health data. Learn the methods for storage and communication of multimedia information in health care. Explain the methods and constraints for providing remote health care. Understand the best practices for securing health information. Explain how technology is developed, implemented and maintained in healthcare institutions. Understand key modelling standards used in the management of health technology.

Learner objectives: upon successfully completing this course, students will be able to: 1) Explain the usage of computer networks for distributed health services. 2) Discuss advanced health technology concepts with stakeholders. 3) Model a computerized solution for a decentralized health care process.