Department of Health Informatics, College of Public Health and Health Informatics, Qassim University, Albukayriah, 52741, Saudi Arabia.
BMC Med Educ. 2023 Jun 26;23(1):475. doi: 10.1186/s12909-023-04442-7.
In the field of health informatics (HI), there is a crucial gap between employers' needs and the output of academic programmes. Although industrial organisations and government agencies recognise the importance of training and education in the development and operation of health-information systems, advancements in educational programmes have been comparatively slow in terms of investment in healthcare information technology. This study aims to determine the gap between employer demands and academic programmes in HI in Saudi Arabia.
This mixed-methods study collected both qualitative and quantitative data. A qualitative content analysis was performed to identify the role of advertised HI jobs using two sources: Google and LinkedIn. In addition, university websites were searched to determine job opportunities for graduates with a bachelor's degree in HI. Next, a quantitative, cross-sectional self-report questionnaire was administered to validate the findings of the qualitative data. Data obtained were analysed using SPSS, N-Vivo, and Microsoft Excel.
The study's data were obtained from four sources: Google search engine, LinkedIn, five Saudi university websites, and 127 HI experts. The results show a discrepancy between academic programmes' outputs and employer recruitment needs. In addition, the results reveal a preference for post-graduate degrees, either a master's or PhD degree, with a bachelor's degree in a health or medical discipline.
Employers tend to prefer applicants with a bachelor's degree in computer science or information technology over those with a degree in HI. Academic programmes should incorporate more practical applications and provide students with a thorough understanding of the healthcare industry to better equip them as efficient future HI professionals.
在健康信息学（HI）领域，雇主的需求与学术项目的产出之间存在着一个关键的差距。尽管工业组织和政府机构认识到培训和教育在健康信息系统的开发和运营中的重要性，但在投资医疗保健信息技术方面，教育项目的进展相对缓慢。本研究旨在确定沙特阿拉伯 HI 领域雇主需求与学术项目之间的差距。
这项混合方法研究收集了定性和定量数据。使用 Google 和 LinkedIn 这两个来源，对广告 HI 工作的角色进行了定性内容分析。此外，还搜索了大学网站，以确定具有 HI 学士学位的毕业生的就业机会。接下来，采用定量、横断面自我报告问卷调查来验证定性数据的发现。使用 SPSS、N-Vivo 和 Microsoft Excel 对获得的数据进行分析。
该研究的数据来自四个来源：Google 搜索引擎、LinkedIn、五所沙特大学网站和 127 名 HI 专家。研究结果表明，学术项目的产出与雇主的招聘需求之间存在差异。此外，研究结果还显示，雇主更倾向于招聘拥有研究生学历的人，要么是硕士学位，要么是博士学位，而不是健康或医学学科的学士学位。
雇主倾向于优先考虑计算机科学或信息技术专业的学士学位申请人，而不是健康信息学专业的申请人。学术项目应纳入更多的实际应用，并使学生对医疗保健行业有深入的了解，以便更好地培养他们成为高效的未来 HI 专业人员。
