Revisions for PathologyInformatics

changed:
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This intensive short course in medical and pathology informatics is offered to third year pathology residents and runs for two weeks. This year the dates are July 12-23. All sessions are on the 3rd floor of the UPMC Cancer Pavilion on the Shadyside campus. Shuttle and city bus information as well as location maps are available at http://jhh.opi.upmc.edu/main/ShuttleMaps. The morning sessions are held from 9-12 in conference room 341 and the afternoon sessions are in the adjoining computer teaching lab. An intranet web site for the course is available at http://aplis.upmc.edu/PathInformaticsTrng/training_index.htm

The goal of the rotation is to ensure that our pathology residents have a basic level of computer and enterprise information system knowledge required in the future for 

0. using computers clinically, 

0. using computers for personal education, 

0. understanding how multiple computer systems work together to support the delivery of healthcare, 

0. identifying key quality factors for information systems in a healthcare environment, and 

0. contributing to healthcare information system design and purchase decisions, particularly with respect to systems that manage pathology information. 

The last three items are more important for pathologists than most of the other clinical specialties because pathologists use information systems to communicate the data they create to others who use that information. The value of this data in patient care is strongly influenced by the way that it is managed and presented. It's important that pathologists have an independent understanding the qualities of information systems that make these systems valuable and effective, because these qualities will affect physicians' (and patients') perception of the value and effectiveness of pathologists' work.

Resources for some of Dr. Harrison's presentations in the 2004 rotation are available in RotationResources.