This document outlines the course description, objectives, requirements and policies for NU 509 Health Informatics, a 3-credit hybrid course offered in the fall 2014 semester at Monmouth University. Key details include: - The course will cover concepts of health informatics and its impact on decision-making. Students will develop computer, information literacy and search skills. - Major assignments include a library database search, educational brochure, PowerPoint presentation, Excel spreadsheet, e-portfolio, and workflow analysis. Class meetings will involve lectures, discussions and demonstrations of technology. - The syllabus provides grading scales and policies on attendance, late assignments, academic integrity and supporting students with disabilities. Required textbooks and technology resources are also listed

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MONMOUTH UNIVERSITY
Marjorie K. Unterberg School of Nursing and Health Studies
WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ
HEALTH INFORMATICS
NU 509 Hybrid (Friday: 4:30 – 7:15) Instructor: Dr. Kathryn Fleming
McAllan Hall 226 Email: keflemin@monmouth.edu
Fall 2014 Phone: 732-923-4617 / 732-614-0006
3 Credits Office Location: McAllan Hall 202
Office Hours: Wednesday 11:00 – 1:00 OR
By Appointment
COURSE DESCRIPTION
Concepts of health informatics and the impact on decision-making in nursing will be presented. Computer
literacy and information literacy skills will be emphasized. Clinical practice, management, education, and
research models will be presented to guide effective decision-making processes. A review of the
methodology of analyzing, formalizing and processing information applicable to components of health
and nursing practice. Emphasis on design, implementation, and testing the effectiveness and efficiency of
computerized information as it relates to nursing and health practice will be discussed. The course will
include (1) an overview of the basic computer skills required to process electronic information, (2)
development of search skills associated with finding health, nursing and medical information on the
World Wide Web, (3) critique types of health, nursing and medical information available on the World
Wide Web, and (4) linking electronic information to decision making processes in nursing, medical, and
allied health sciences.
COURSE OBJECTIVES
1. Expand basic computer literacy skills using the computer to retrieve electronic information.
2. Develop search skills associated information literacy through the electronic databases and
through the internet.
3. Critique the nature and types of health, medical, and nursing information available on search
engines on the internet and through electronic databases.
4. Examine the role of health informatics in clinical and health care decision-making.
5. Identify models of the data management and data processing of nursing, health, and medical
data.
6. Interpret from informatics sources (data, information, knowledge, and wisdom) that impact
clinical decision-making.
7. Evaluate electronic systems to manage health, medical, and nursing information.
8. Utilize evidence based practice findings from the literature to make clinical decisions.
REQUIRED TEXTBOOK
McGonigle, D. & Mastrian, K. (2nd Edition). Nursing informatics and the foundation of knowledge.
Boston: Jones and Bartlett Publishers.
Recommended based on students comfort and experience level with Microsoft products:

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Dummies series (i.e. Microsoft Office for Dummies) or Bible series (i.e. Microsoft Office 2010 Bible) depending
on version you have
TEACHING & LEARNING STRATEGIES
Interactive lectures/discussions, games, audiovisual presentations, videos, and demonstrations.
The course will be presented in two parts with one part focusing on theory and the other part
working with technology.
STUDENTS WITH DISABILITIES
Students with disabilities who need special accommodations for this class are encouraged to meet with me
and John Carey, Director of the Department of Disability Services, at 732-571-3460, located in the
College Skills Center, as soon as possible. In order to receive accommodations, students must be
registered with the Department of Disability Services as set forth in the student handbook and must follow
the University procedure for self-disclosure, which is stated in the University Guide to Services and
Accommodations for Students with Disabilities. Students will not be afforded any special
accommodations for academic work completed prior to disclosure of the disability and, at the discretion
of the University, prior to the completion of the documentation process with Department of Disability
Services.
IMPORTANT TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION
To access Monmouth University email, the library’s research databases, and computers in campus labs,
students must use a “username” and “password.”
 Username is your student ID. For example, S0123456.
 Password: New students or students needing to retrieve their password, please call 732-923-4600 and
follow the prompts to log in to get your password
 If you have a problem, call the HelpDesk at 732-571-3539.
MONMOUTH E-MAIL: All students must access their Monmouth University e-mail regularly.
EMAIL: From your Internet Browser
1. Browse to http://office.monmouth.edu
2. Enter your Monmouth University email address in the User name field
3. Enter your email password in the password field.
4. Click Sign In.
EMAIL: Monmouth University Home Page
1. Scroll down to Resources for Current Students > Click Current Students
2. Scroll to the section > Connecting at Monmouth> Click Email
3. Enter your Monmouth University email address in the User name field
4. Enter your email password in the password field.
5. Click Sign In.

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E-CAMPUS
Go to www.monmouth.edu. Select “Current Students” then scroll down to Online Resources and
select “e-Campus.” Log in with your username and password.
LIBRARY
Explore the Monmouth University Library Site. You may access this site from eCampus or via
http://library.monmouth.edu
APA WEBSITE
Review APA format at the following site:
http://www.vanguard.edu/faculty/ddegelman/index.aspx?doc_id=796
Adobe Reader (to view PDFs)
If you do not have Adobe Reader on your computer, download it (free) from the following site:
http://www.adobe.com/products/acrobat/readstep2.html
ACADEMIC INTEGRITY
In order to provide a learning process and academic environment that permits students to pursue their
educational goals, you are expected to exhibit honesty in this and every class in which you enroll at
Monmouth. Academic dishonesty includes cheating and plagiarism.
Cheating: Includes submitting, without prior faculty permission, any work that has been submitted in
identical or similar form in fulfillment of any other academic requirement at any institution. Cheating also
includes copying from someone’s test and submitting material for academic evaluation that has been
prepared by another individual or by a commercial agency.
Plagiarism: Includes submitting written material without proper acknowledgement of the source,
deliberate attribution to or citation of a fictitious source, or submitting data which have been willfully
altered or contrived.
Turnitin: Assignments in this course may be checked for plagiarism using Turnitin
(http://www.turnitin.com), a Web-based resource that compares the text of student papers to an
extensive electronic database. I will inform you in advance about which assignments will be
checked for originality using Turnitin.
Students agree that, by taking this course, all required papers may be subject to submission for textual
similarity review to Turnitin.com for the detection of plagiarism. All submitted papers will be included as
source documents in the Turnitin.com reference database solely for the purpose of detecting plagiarism of
such papers. Use of the Turnitin.com service is subject to the Usage Policy posted on the Turnitin.com
site.
Your instructor has the right to assigna zero to any violation of these policies.
ATTENDANCE POLICY

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Regular attendance is expected and will be recorded at the start of each class. You are permitted one
absence during the course, for any reason, without it influencing your grade. As “life happens” (e.g.,
illness, loss, weather, car trouble, etc.), however, it would be wise to attend every class that you are able.
There is no need to provide documentation of absences (e.g., doctor’s notes, etc.). For each absence
beyond the first, your final grade in the course will be reduced by 4 points, according to the scale below.
Five absences will result in a final course grade of “F.” Being late to class (or leaving early) will result in
a ½ absence. Missing over half a class will result in a complete absence.
Number of Absences
Change in Final Course
Grade
0 - 1 No change
2 -4%
3 -8%
4 -12%
5 Absences = Final Course Grade of “F”
Students traveling on official university business, such as for NCAA athletic competition, are
responsible for all work covered during their absence, which can be made up by completing
additional work as assigned by the professor. Questions or concerns about this should be brought
to the instructor’s attention in advance. Student Athletes must provide written documentation from
the Athletics Department regarding class absences due to events/games/competitions.
COURSE REQUIREMENTS
 Reading assignments are to be prepared prior to the class, as per the topic outline provided below.
 Students missing a scheduled exam due to illness are responsible for contacting the professor, by
phone or e-mail, as soon as possible. Documentation of the illness may be required at the discretion of
the professor.
 Academic integrity, as discussed below, is expected of each student. The format for all source
acknowledgements/citations is to be according to American Psychological Association. (2010).
Publication manual of the American Psychological Association. (6th Ed.). Washington, DC. All
formal papers in the School of Nursing are required to adhere to these guidelines; therefore, students
are advised to obtain a copy as soon as possible. Additional materials which might be helpful may be
obtained at the APA website http://www.apastyle.org/pubmanual.html.
 Students are responsible for announcements made in class or electronically.
ASSIGNMENTS DUE DATES
Assignments are expected on the date due unless the student has consulted with the professor prior to that
date. Assignments that are submitted late without permission to do so, will receive a lower grade. For each
day late, a letter grade will be deducted (e. g., an “A” grade will become a B, a B+ will become a C+, etc.).
You may ask the Professor to read a draft of any assignment at least 2 weeks prior to the due date.
Feedback will be provided within one week.
Last date to withdraw with a grade of W: March 30, 2015
COURSE GRADING POLICY

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GRADES:
The MSN Program adheres to the method of calculating GPA as discussed in the Graduate Catalogue
http://www.monmouth.edu/registrar/important_information.asp.
Graduate grading system is:
A, A- = Excellent
B+, B, B- = Average
C, C+, C- = Poor
F = Failing – This grade is given for failure in a course; for withdrawal from a
course after (W) date; failure to remove an (I) Incomplete by the end of the next semester.
NURSING GRADING STANDARDS
A = 95-100 B+ = 87-89 C+ = 77-79
A- = 90-94 B = 83-86 C = 73-76
B- = 80-82 C- = 70-72
Courses in the concentration and specialty areas require a B or better. Practicums and labs remain as
pass/fail.
EVALUATION
A. Library Database & Website Search 10%
B. Educational Brochure/Pamphlet 15%
C. PowerPoint Presentation 20%
D. Excel Spreadsheet 10%
E. E-Portfolio/Resume 15%
F. Workflow Analysis 10%
G. Participation 20%
Please refer to grading rubrics for each Project
A. Library Database/Website Search 10% 20 points
1. Search the web on a nursing informatics topic, question, issue, etc. that is of interest to you. This
topic will be used to create a brochure (please see Brochure assignment).
2. Using the electronic research techniques, search at least one database for your topic. (a database
IS NOT Yahoo or Google –an example is MedLine, CINAHL)
3. Using only a main search term, perform one search on your general topic. Snip or Screenshot 1st
page of results > Open a Word document and Paste results
4. Perform at least one additional search limiting your topic using “and”, “or” or “not” operators.
Print 1st page of results > Paste to same word document
5. Select at least two of the resulting articles to explore. If your search resulted in articles available
full text, open at least one of them. Open at least one citation which does not have a full text
article available. How would you go about obtaining this article? Please include two citations in
APA format from this activity.
6. Write a 1-2 page paper describing the above activity, your assessment of how changing and/or
limiting the search term affected the results, and your thoughts about how this search might be of

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help if you were preparing to write a brochure on your topic of choice. Include in Word
document
7. Use at least 2 search engines to find websites. Snip or Screenshot the 1st page of the results
obtained with each search engine > Paste to same word document
8. Explore at least two of the web sites in some depth. Snip or Screenshot the first page of each of
the sites. Be sure to include the web address at the top of each page. > Paste to same Word
document
9. Write a 1-2 page paper assessing the quality of the information on these web sites (using the five
criteria provided on eCampus), the relevance of the information on the web sites to your topic,
question, issue, etc. of interest, and the likelihood that you will use this site in the brochure
assignment. Be specific about the 2 websites you used, not all websites in general.
10. Submit to dropbox by date indicated
Grading Rubric
Grammar/Spelling 5
How to obtain article not in full text 1
Initial search 3
Additional Search 1
Search engines 3
Description of websites 2
5 Criteria 5
DO NOT USE COPY/PASTE on the website pages. The snip/screenshot should be small enough to fit
on 1 page of your document. Points will be deducted if this requirement is not met
B. Educational Brochure/Pamphlet 15% 30 points
1. Prepare a tri-fold brochure/pamphlet on a topic related to nursing informatics (SAME as Library
Database/Website topic).
2. Include relevant information to the topic. Be sure to include references where appropriate*
3. Use at least two fonts AND at least one change in font formatting (e.g., Drop Cap, Word Art).
4. Limit the amount of verbiage on the brochure (brochures should be easy to read). The use of bullets is
appropriate and preferred. Fonts no smaller than 12
5. Include a graphic or image on each section of the brochure (3 sections on each side of the page)
If you do not have Microsoft Publisheron your computer, you can download a free trial version to use for this assignment OR
you will need to use the computers on campus. You can also download a brochure template in Word. Mac user? Use Word’s
brochure template (Mac does not have publisher)
Grading Rubric (15%) 30 points
1. Brochure Specifications
a. Tri-fold (double sided) 5
b. Relevant information 5
c. 2 fonts and 1 change in font formatting 7
d. Use of bullets and imagery 5
2. Grammar/Spelling 8

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*Reference can be cited on any page that has open space (cite as you would on a reference page)
Submit to dropbox by date indicated in content Outline.
C. PowerPoint Presentation 20% 100 points
1. Prepare a PowerPoint Presentation of at least twelve slides on a topic related to nursing
informatics, instructional technology, or health informatics.
PowerPoint will need to incorporate the following elements:
1. Text
a. Different font type and size on every page
b. Use of bullets and white space (DO NOT cover the entire slide with words)
2. Animations
a. Clip art – different on every slide
3. Slide transitions
a. Automatic (10 second max per slide)
b. Transition different for every slide
4. Background music/sound clip or video clip
a. Sound on every slide
b. If using clip art sound bites then sound MUST be different on every slide
A typical PowerPoint WOULD NOT use the variety of objects that I have asked. The purpose is
to get you familiar with what is available and have you use them. Changing fonts is an easy task
(once you know how to do it!) This presentation is more about creation than the appearance.
Grading Rubric (25%) 100 points
1. Presentation content (inclusion of necessary information to convey understanding
of topic for the reader) 30
2. Use of PPT elements 50
a. Fonts
b. Bullets
c. Animations
d. Slide transitions
e. Background music/sound clip or video clip on all slides
3. Grammar/Spelling 20
4. Submit to dropbox by date indicated in Topic Outline

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D. Excel Spreadsheet 10% 15 points
1. You are bidding for a senior leadership nurse position in the Operating Room. As part of this
process, you must show proficiency in EXCEL. You are interested in using data that has been
collected for incidents that occur in the OR for the month of January.
2. This project involved quality assurance and you will develop a method for tracking incidents that
occur in the OR. You have collected data for the month of January and decided that a spreadsheet
program would help you in organizing, calculating, and displaying your data in a useful form with
tables and charts.
3. Consider the tutorials that you have reviewed so far. Be sure to utilize the resources (and
websites) that have been provided to help you build your table and get to your answers.
4. Data: Total Procedures for the Month of January : 620
Incident items:
 Sponge Count
 Needle Count
 Instrument Count
 Suture
 Items Missing
 Pressure Areas
 Equipment
 Other
Service Lines
 Cardiac
 General Surgery
 Orthopedics
 Neurological
 ENT
Incidents in January
 General Surgery: needle count 26,
instrument count 22, suture 17,
pressure 10, items missing 11
 Cardiac: follow up 4, Equipment 22,
Other 7
 Orthopedic: needle count 18
instrument count 2, pressure area 5,
follow up 3
 Neurological: follow up 10, items
missing 26
 ENT: sponge count 18, follow up 9,
suture 6
Using the spreadsheet application, develop a spreadsheet that will display the following:
5. Percentage of each incident (by service line) that occurred (1 point) i.e sponge count in ENT was
X%
6. Number of each of the incidents that occurred in each service during the month (table). (1 point)
7. Total count for each type of incident during the month (1 point)
8. Incident rate: percentage of total incidents that occurred in the month (1 point)
9. Create a graph using the chart function for each Service Line. Be sure to include the type of
incident and the percentage rate of occurrence for each. (1 point each)
a. Cardiac
b. General Surgery
c. Orthopedics
d. Neurological
e. ENT
10. Create a graph that provides the following information:
a. Which Service Line had the highest number of incidents? (1 point)
b. Which Service Line had the lowest rate of incidents? (1 point)
11. All answers and responses should be placed on the spreadsheet: 1 tab only (1 point)
12. What type of incident was most common? (1 point)
Having the answer visible on the graph
does not count – you need to have the
answer with the question

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13. What type of incident was the least common (1 point)
14. Placement of answers (1 point):
a. Place answers to Q 12 & 13 on the spreadsheet
b. Identify each answer (Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, Q10) on the spreadsheet
Use of formulas is required (counts, percentages, averages, etc) – points taken off if manual calculation
done (cells should be used as reference in ALL calculations – NO manual entry)
BE SURE TO FOLLOW THE INSTRUCTIONS. Points will be taken off if you provide the wrong
information: i.e raw numbers instead of a percentage
Submit to dropbox by date indicated in content Outline.
E. E-portfolio 15% 100 points
1. Create an e-portfolio using “Linked In” http://www.linkedin.com
2. Include a welcome page and reflection in the summary section.
3. Gather and organize your information and personalize
4. Send an invitation to “Join My Network” (to Professor and ALL classmates)
Content areas Content Points
Profile/
Background
Name, Credentials
Picture
What do you want an employer to see as a welcome message?
10
Experience Include all relevant work experience 15
Resume Upload under Experience section
Neat, well organized, all standard criteria included
10
Education Include relevant education
Provide the course information for Health Informatics.
Upload ALL of the projects completed in NU509:
Web/database search assignment
PowerPoint
Excel Project
Brochure
20
Additional
Sections
Volunteer, Certifications, Awards, skills and expertise, Interests, etc 10
Gather and
organize/
formatting
Use logical identifiable names/label your files
Grammar
Spelling
5
Endorsement You are to endorse ALL your fellow classmates 10
Invitation to
Join
Send to Professor and ALL Classmates 10
Dropbox Deadline in Course Syllabus 10
10
100
5. Submit a screenshot of your profile page to the dropbox
If you have difficulty uploading
any documents – you may
screen shot the 1st page and save
it to a word document and then
upload that document

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F. Workflow Analysis 10% 20 points
You will create a workflow analysis: Any daily function work or personal
Using the information on workflow development that you have learned you will create a workflow
analysis. It will need to include all aspects of the process (essentially the analysis will need to be able to
serve as a standalone document that could be handed to a person and they can follow the path and
complete the task).
Consider: All points in your analysis where a decision might need to be made: Is step 1 get out of bed
Or is step 1 was it time to be awake (did you wake up before your alarm went off?). Grading is based on
your ability to address all possible components in your process.
Consider this quote from Steve Jobs:
“Simple can be harder than complex: You have to work hard to get your thinking clean to make it simple. But it’s
worth it in the end because once you get there, you can move mountains.”
G. Participation 20%
Participation online and in the classroom is a mandatory component of this course. Content, Power
Points, Readings, and the discussion board will open on the day of class and close on the following week
at the start time of class. Please see content outline for due dates. You will be required to post a response
as well as engage in a discussion with fellow classmates. A grading rubric has been included to guide
your postings.
Discussion Board Guidelines
Dimensions
Grading Criteria (each item is worth 20 points)
Activity Posts 2 or more discussion messages during any seven-day period. 1 post
MUST be in response to a fellow student.
Content Postings are characterized by clarity of argument, depth of insight into
theoretical content, originality of treatment, relevancy, and unusual insights.
Arguments and facts are supported by including EVIDENCED-BASED
resources.
Collaboration Evidence of support and encouragement is exchanged between students, as
well as willingness to critically evaluate the work of others.
Questioning Frequently includes good questions that stimulate discussion. Frequently

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Dimensions
Grading Criteria (each item is worth 20 points)
responds to questions from others.
Mechanics Uses APA format to document references. A reference is included in each
post.
CONTENT OUTLINE
Week Readings for this
week
Topic/ objectives Take note!
1/23/15 Syllabus  Introduction to class
 Course Introduction/Orientation
 Student e-mail
 eCampus
 Basic computer tutorial
 Review Examples of APA format
 Explore Monmouth University Library
 Intro: Library Database/ Website Assignment
Objective 1
Re-read Syllabus and
Email Professor with
any questions.
1/30/15
(ONLINE)
 Chapter 1
 Chapter 3
 Nursing Science and the Foundation of
Knowledge
 Computer Science and the Foundation of
Knowledge Model
 Computer Literacy vs. Information Literacy
 Critique and Evaluate Nursing Literature
 Credibility of Electronic Information
 Primer on Word
 Objective 1, 2, 3
2/6/15  Chapter 2  APA Format - Title Page
 Introduction to Information, Information
Science, and Information Systems
 Search Strategies for Databases
 Research Articles versus Website Articles
 Publisher Practice
Objective 1, 6, 3
2/13/15
(ONLINE)
 Chapter 6
 Chapter 7
 Overview of Nursing Informatics
 Developing Standardized Terminologies in
Nursing Informatics
 CINAHL Searching
 Introduction to Education Brochure
Assignment
Objective 2,3, 5, 8
Library
Database/Website
Assignment Due

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2/20/15 Chapter 18  Primer on Publisher
 Excel Demo Online
 Evaluating Best Evidence from Literature
 An Insider’s View of the Utility of a
Clinical Information System
Objective 7, 6
2/27/15
(ONLINE)
 Chapter 8
 Chapter 9
 Nursing Informatics Roles, Competencies, and
Skills
 Information and Knowledge Needs of Nursing
in the 21st Century
 Sharing of Brochures – Peer Review
Objective 4, 5
Brochure
Assignment Due
3/6/15  Chapter 17
 Chapter 26
 The Electronic Health Record and Clinical
Informatics
 Nursing Research: Data collection, processing,
and analysis
 Excel overview
Objective 1, 6, 4, 8
3/13/15
(ONLINE)
 Chapter 19
 Websites
 Overview of Home Telehealth
 Telenursing and Remote Access Telehealth
 Introduction to E-portfolios Assignment
 PowerPoint Practice
Objective 7
Excel Assignment
Due
Spring Break
3/27/15
(ONLINE)
 Chapter 20
 Chapter 21
 Supporting Consumer Information and
Education Needs
 Using Informatics to Promote
Community/Population Health
Objective 7, 8
4/3/15  Chapter 22
 Chapter 16
 Improving Workflows and Meaningful Use
 Tools to Promote Patient Safety
Objective 7
4/10/15
(ONLINE)
 Chapter 11  Professional Development and Collaboration
Tools
Workflow Analysis
Due
4/17/15  Chapter 10  Resume / CV development
 Primer on PowerPoint
 Legislative aspects of Nursing Informatics
Objective 1
4/24/15
(ONLINE
 Chapter 29
 Chapter 30
 Emerging technologies
 Foundation of Knowledge
PowerPoint Project
Due
5/1/15  Presentations E-Portfolio Project
Due
Final
Exam
 Presentations (continued)
**Course Outline is subject to change. The professor will announce these changes on e-campus.