Health informatics education: an opportunity for public health in Canada.

Health information infrastructure is being developed across Canada, and health informatics education should be a component of the emerging infrastructure. However, educational opportunities do not appear to be developing in pace with infrastructure. This study characterizes the required education, and describes specific issues facing the development of health informatics education. Twenty-six key informants were interviewed, and responses were analyzed to identify major themes. Subjects agreed that the current capacity for health informatics education is inadequate. Also, limited expertise could adversely affect health infostructure implementation and health system performance. A need was identified for both advanced and basic education. Four issues facing the development of health informatics education in Canada were consistently identified: awareness, collaboration, funding, and human resources. Public health is well positioned to play a central role in health informatics education due to its historical basis in handling health information, and its developing expertise in health informatics applications.