Biomedical Informatics

Higher education teachers: Vrtovec Tomaž

Subject description

Prerequisits:

Inscription in the academic year.

Content (Syllabus outline):

Biomedical data and information; computer science and informatics in biomedicine; the role of information-driven decision making in biomedicine; development of biomedical systems; standards in biomedical informatics; protection of biomedical data; ethical aspects of biomedical informatics; basics of clinical, health, imaging and bioinformatics; access and retrieval of biomedical information from databases; decision-support systems in healthcare; education in healthcare; development and marketing of informatics technology in medicine and healthcare.

Objectives and competences:

The course aims to present an overview of the field of biomedical informatics, which is concerned with storage, retrieval, protection, transport, standardization and optimal usage of biomedical data and information. The importance of managing and integrating biomedical data and information for the purpose of increasing the quality and efficiency of problem solving and decision making is presented from the clinical, scientific, educational, technological, social, as well as financial point of view. Practical work consists of implementing computerized and computer-assisted techniques that adhere to the established standards in biomedical informatics and are used for protection, storage, transport and retrieval of biomedical data and information.

Intended learning outcomes:

• Knowledge and understanding: Understanding the importance of managing and integrating biomedical data and information, and practical knowledge of existing standards and established techniques for protection, storage, transport, retrieval and application of biomedical data and information.
• Application: The knowledge gained is useful for managing biomedical data and information. Biomedical informatics is an extremely interdisciplinary field, merging approaches from biomedical, electrical and computer engineering, informatics, medicine, pharmacy, biology, management, sociology and economy.
• Reflection: To understand the intertwinement of perspectives in biomedicine, especially medicine and healthcare, and the role of biomedical informatics in managing and integrating data and information within these fields.
• Skills: To recognize the efficiency (or inefficiency) and adequacy (or inadequacy) of standards, regulations, ethical considerations, as well as of techniques and methods for storing, protection, retrieval, transport and application of biomedical data and information.

Learning and teaching methods:

During lectures, theoretical aspects of techniques, existing standards and established methods are given, and are additionally supported by descriptions of practical examples from different fields of application. During laboratory practice, techniques for computer-/information-based protection, storing, transport and retrieval of biomedical data and information are developed and implemented.

Study materials

Readings:

1. Biomedical Informatics, E.H. Shortliffe, J.J. Cimino, Springer, 2006.
2. Medical Informatics: Knowledge Management and Data Mining in Biomedicine, H. Chen, S.S. Fuller, C. Friedman, W. Hersh (Eds.), Springer, 2010.
3. PACS and Imaging Informatics: Basic Principles and Applications, H.K. Huang, Wiley- Blackwell, 2010.