Abstract
Background Health informatics (HI) is a growing field of study, yet sparse data are available
on the characteristics of undergraduate HI programs in the United States. The lack
of a central location for U.S. HI undergraduate program data has led to a gap in information
to support current efforts to promote academic standards in the field and attract
potential students.
Objectives The objective of this study was to perform an environment scan of colleges and universities
within the United States and Puerto Rico to identify undergraduate programs in HI
including majors, minors, and undergraduate-level certificates.
Methods Potential institutions offering HI programs were identified from the National Center
for Education Statistics (NCES), the Commission for Accreditation of Health Informatics
and Health Information Management Education (CAHIIM), the Association of University
Programs in Health Administration (AUPHA), the Healthcare Information and Management
Systems Society (HIMSS), and the American Health Information Management Association
(AHIMA). Publicly available materials for these institutions were reviewed, and data
were captured for identified HI programs including geographic location; college or
school in which the program was offered; type of degree (if applicable); program title;
total credits to complete the program; delivery format; and source of data.
Results A total of 83 HI programs were identified from 60 institutions and 26 states. The
primary finding of this environment scan was that inconsistencies exist among U.S.
HI undergraduate programs including variations in offering college/school, title of
program, number of credits required, delivery formats, CIP codes, and the type of
information published on university/college websites.
Conclusion This environment scan was a first step in exploring the characteristics of undergraduate
HI programs within the United States. Further research is needed on the curricular
similarities and differences among the programs, the administrative methods of these
interdisciplinary programs, and the information most needed by current and potential
undergraduate students.
Keywords
clinical informatics - workforce - accreditation - process improvement
