An interdisciplinary online course in health care informatics.

Objectives: To design an interdisciplinary course in health care informatics that enables students to: (1) understand how to incorporate technology into the provision of safe, effective and evidence-based health care; (2) make decisions about the value and ethical application of specific technologies; and (3) appreciate the perspectives and roles of patients and providers when using technology in care.

Design: An online, interdisciplinary elective course using a distributive learning model was created. Standard courseware was used to manage teaching and to facilitate student/instructor interactions. Interactive, multimedia lectures were developed using Internet communication software.

Assessment: Upon completion of the course, students demonstrated competency in identifying, analyzing, and applying informatics appropriately in diverse health settings.

Conclusion: Online education using multimedia software technology is effective in teaching students about health informatics and providing an innovative opportunity for interdisciplinary learning. In light of the growing need for efficient health care informatics training, additional study of this methodology is warranted.