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RMIT and SHU offer postgraduate courses in digital health
Digital health is on the rise as the use of technology to drive improvements in the design of medical products and the delivery of health care services grows.
This trend is projected to continue as the digital health market size, which was estimated at over USD 106 billion in 2019 is expected to grow at 28.5% CAGR through 2026.
This trend is fuelled by the COVID-19 pandemic, forcing healthcare providers to apply digital health technologies such as telehealth to successfully treat patients.
As an increasing number of patients turn to digital health technologies, healthcare providers are expanding their capabilities to deal with the sudden increase in patient volume.
This will increase the product demand and propel the market expansion, which will then result in a skills gap.
In fact, a more pressing concern is the lack of fundamental data literacy among the healthcare workforce.
The Data Literacy Index 2018, rated healthcare as the worst-performing sector in terms of data literacy of staff.
A new report from EIT Health and McKinsey suggests that for the health care technology to achieve its full potential, not only will healthcare staff require strong data and analytics skills, but even basic digital skills will become a prerequisite.
As the demand for digital health professional skills rises, universities around the world are offering postgraduate programmes in the field.
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RMIT Online launches new postgraduate certification in digital health
| Oct 12 | 3 mins readRoyal Melbourne Institute of Technology (RMIT) Online is partnering with Amazon and Telstra to offer a new post-graduate programme in digital health.
The Graduate Certificate in Digital Health programme is co-designed by the university, public cloud giant Amazon Web Services, and Telstra Health, Australia’s largest e-health company.
The programme is scheduled to commence in April 2021 and aims to upskill students’ inpatient care through technology.
The programme is designed with working health professionals in mind and can be completed in 12 months, on a part-time basis.
This certification programme for clinicians and health service professionals will equip students with the skills to analyse and critically evaluate emerging technologies and trends in digital health.
The course will prepare learners for the future of digital health innovation by focusing on how biosensors and apps can assist remote patients.
Learners will evaluate the importance of data, information, and knowledge management in digital health and the implications for effective governance in both health service delivery and citizens’ rights through the programme.
Digital Health CRC, a government-funded research cooperative is also a co-contributor to the programme design.
CEO of RMIT Online, Helen Souness said, “Even before COVID-19, we were fast approaching a tipping point in healthcare, and this latest offering is an extension of our commitment to upskilling professionals in an era when technology must augment human skills,”
“Integrating technology into patient care and involving patients in the design of future health services will have a significant impact on the future of not only Australia’s healthcare industry but the health of all Australians. That is what this course intends to teach,” she added.
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SHU’s digital health degree helps healthcare experts meet the growing demand for AI skills
Sheffield Hallam University (SHU) is also launching a ground-breaking digital health degree to help meet the growing demand for artificial intelligence (AI) and data analysis experts in the healthcare industry.
SHU’s MSc Healthcare Analytics and Artificial Intelligence is designed for healthcare employees who are interested in upskilling into technical roles.
The postgraduate programme is flexible and allows either full-time or part-time study, making it suitable for individuals who are on a career break as well as former healthcare staff.
Associate Dean in the College of Health, Wellbeing and Life Sciences at SHU, Dr Chris Low said, “This new course is just one of a range of innovative, digitally-driven courses at Hallam that are needed to develop the workforce skills that are becoming vital for effective healthcare services,”
Low added, “As we have seen during the Covid-19 pandemic, diagnosis and treatment increasingly rely on using data to deliver the most efficient, compassionate care. The funding from the Office for Students will help us encourage those sections of the community who, with the right support in place, can make a big contribution to the digital revolution in healthcare services.”
This programme prepares graduates for a career in healthcare solutions; clinical informatics; project management; systems training and education; systems procurement management and information management.
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