Health Information Management MSc

The effective use of health information systems has the potential to dramatically improve health services. In order to take full advantage of such profound benefits, the healthcare industry desperately needs talented and visionary leaders to shape the future health information strategy and effectively manage its implementation and changes.

This course is not a health informatics degree – it aims to produce future leaders in health information management. Typical applicants may be clinical and allied health professionals or informaticians/computer scientists. What is important is an interest in healthcare and desire to move into a managerial position in health informatics by building knowledge and leadership skills to successfully lead health informatics projects and teams.

The flexible modular programme can be studied full time or part time and is managed and taught by the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing in partnership with Kingston Business School.

What will you study?

You will build management and leadership skills by studying the fundamental concepts and principles of health services quality, financial resource management, health information strategy, health information governance, systems analysis and design and clinical data records. You will have the opportunity to improve your practical skills, so that you can plan and manage complex health informatics projects and implement changes within the evolving healthcare environment. Throughout the course you will consider the impact of health information systems upon individuals and teams within the healthcare environment.

Many of our staff in the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Computing are research active. This ensures they are in touch with the latest thinking and bring best practice to your studies.
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Please note that this is an indicative list of modules and is not intended as a definitive list.

Available modules

• Managing Health Services for Quality

• Managing Health Services for Quality

  This module introduces the basic concepts of service operations management applicable to the health and social care environment. You will cover:

  • methodologies for the planning and control of resources within the health and social care environment; and
  • means of quality measurement and control and their suitability in ensuring the delivery of an appropriate and consistent service in line with the expectations of the service user.

  Topics include:

  • investigation of different planning and control strategies and evaluation of their impact upon the scheduling and control of resources and facilities;
  • measuring customer satisfaction (bridging the link between expectations and perceptions, the Servqual model, a review of the role of quasi independent bodies such as the Picker Institute, Doctor Foster Intelligence); and
  • evaluation of quality programmes specific to the health and social care environment (eg Chris Wilson's model, RCN DySSy, Social Care Quality models).
  
   
• Leading and Managing People in Health

• Leading and Managing People in Health

  This module integrates the theory and practice of leadership, management and organisational behaviour. It provides an understanding of the performance infrastructure, and the individual, group and organisational factors that underpin organisational effectiveness in healthcare services.

  We will encourage you to critically evaluate the characteristics of successful organisations, group dynamics and individual high performers within the context of healthcare. You will learn how to develop performance differentiators that stimulate and catalyse high performance, organisational commitment and citizenship behaviour within the healthcare sector.

  Topics include:

  • the nature of leadership and management in healthcare settings;
  • issues involved in managing multidisciplinary teams, employment relations and individual behavioural change effectively;
  • the characteristics of successful organisational cultures; and
  • concepts such as the psychological contract and the role of HR practices.
  
   
• Financial Resource Management in Healthcare

• Financial Resource Management in Healthcare

  This module covers issues in accounting and finance in healthcare management. It provides a variety of analytical perspectives with which to examine financial management issues in healthcare. Topics include:

  • the balance sheet and the income statement;
  • cash flow management;
  • understanding financial reports;
  • budgeting and resource management;
  • payments by results;
  • performance management and measurement;
  • costing in the NHS; and
  • accountability and governance.
  
   
• Health Information Strategy and Implementation

• Health Information Strategy and Implementation

  This module examines the role of information strategy and the value that this provides to the national healthcare system. It covers:

  • the transformation of the healthcare system and the strategic shift in focus from the treatment of disease to the effective management of the health of the population;
  • the role that information systems and technology plays in that strategy; and
  • the integrated information system tools that are essential for the operation of the healthcare system.
  
   
• Requirements Engineering and Management

• Requirements Engineering and Management

  Requirements engineering is key to the success of developing IT systems. This module:

  • looks at the issues of the early stages of systems development;
  • explores different approaches that can be used to identify, record and manage requirements within the systems lifecycle; and
  • gives you an understanding and chance to model the business context into which information systems must fit.
  
   
• Clinical Data Management

• Clinical Data Management

  This module examines the data needs of healthcare organisations, explaining the use of databases and the coding of clinical data.

  
   
• Health Information Governance: Security and Privacy Issues

• Health Information Governance: Security and Privacy Issues

  This module examines the data needs of healthcare organisations, explaining the use of databases and the coding of clinical data.

  
   
• Research Methods

• Research Methods

  This module explores how to secure knowledge relevant in business and management studies, focusing on the skills and knowledge you need for your research dissertation. You look at the design of the research dissertation, collection and analysis of data, and presentation of results.

  The module covers:

  • generic research skills such as literature searches and argument analysis;
  • the basic principles of a wide range of research methods through design, collection, analysis and presentation; and
  • some advanced/subject specific methods.

  This framework accommodates the different emphases that the various disciplines and research traditions need, including:

  • methods for development and testing of software;
  • additional techniques for collection and analysis of different types of data, such as video recordings; and
  • advanced methods of analysis of word-based or numerical data.

  This module explores how to secure knowledge relevant in business and management studies, focusing on the skills and knowledge you need for your research dissertation. You look at the design of the research dissertation, collection and analysis of data, and presentation of results.

  
   

Learn more about the facilities available to you as a student of this course.

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