A conceptual framework for interdisciplinary education in engineering and nursing health informatics.

This paper discusses a conceptual framework for an interdisciplinary education in engineering and nursing health informatics. A team with diverse scientific backgrounds and perspectives is anticipated to effectively and efficiently address healthcare systems problems, which can be facilitated by highly integrated and interactive team settings. Nursing students, for example, are in the best position to assess the functional health status and technology needs of patients and health professionals given their close interactions with them. On the other hand, engineering students have skills and knowledge needed to develop a fully functioning technology intervention. The students in engineering and healthcare majors will be able to help each other to obtain a deeper understanding about clinical perspective and technology intervention designs to address adequately healthcare systems problems today via the interdisciplinary educational setting.