The OCW calendar combines material from the Spring 2011 offering (course number HST.184) and Spring 2012 offering (course number HST.S14), sequenced in a way the instructors feel makes sense for OCW users. The 2011 class emphasized lectures by guest speakers, whereas the 2012 class focused on case studies and mentored projects.
| LEC # | TOPICS | OBJECTIVES | LECTURERS |
|---|---|---|---|
| Module I: Setting the Stage for eHealth | |||
| 1 | Translational research and advocacy: New paradigms for equity |
Understand health inequities and the social determinants of health. Overview of the medical illnesses, the status of health care, and common human resource limitations in developing countries. |
Joia Mukherjee (Partners in Health) |
| 2 | Design and impact of health information systems in developing countries | Background on health information systems that have been implemented in developing countries and the evidence on their impact. | Hamish Fraser (Partners in Health, Harvard Medical School) |
| 3 | Overview of quality improvement | Understand the nature and extent of medical errors and how healthcare organizations should respond when adverse events occur. | Leo Celi (MIT, Sana) |
| 4 | Project mentor presentations | Class mentors present their ongoing Sana implementation projects to inform students of real-life examples of health information systems. | Trishan Panch (Sana), Ikaro Silva (MIT, Sana), Freeman Changamire (Tufts University) |
| Module II: Designing Health Information Systems | |||
| 5 | Sana development workshop: Android client and OpenMRS development | Optional workshop series on developing mobile health applications using the Sana mobile health system. | Eric Winkler (Sana) |
| 6 | Operations management at the front lines |
Evaluate the performance of operating units, understand why they perform as they do, and design new or improved operating procedures and systems. Project: Proposal due at start of class |
Martin Were (Indiana University) |
| 7 | Process improvement theory and application | Understand the methods used for improving process quality. | Brandon Bennett (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) |
| 8 | Case study: Designing a diabetes screening project in Punjab | Learn the challenges of screening for diabetes in rural Punjab, India and lessons learned. | Trishan Panch (Sana) |
| 9 | Case study: Wireless labor monitoring for developing settings: From idea to prototype to testing and beyond | Learn how to bring doctors and engineers and others together to transform an indea into something truly useful, e.g. prototype development and creation of optimal use cases. | Jessica Haberer (Massachusetts General Hospital) |
| 10 | Development of standard terminology for global maternal and child health | Understand the need for standard terminology in healthcare delivery, and how a new standard for maternal and child health is being developed. | Jonathan Payne (Partners in Health) |
| 11 | Smart software design for healthcare: unbiased signals, open and affordable technology for resource-constrained healthcare | Examine some of the challenges delivering care in developing countries, and how software and intelligent algorithms can improve care. | Gari D. Clifford (University of Oxford) |
| Module III: Creating a Culture of Quality in Health Care | |||
| 12 | Innovation and Adoption of New Practices |
Examine principles of innovation and the adoption of new practices that can guide the design of successful quality improvement projects. Project: Interim outline and pitches |
Jonathan Jackson (Dimagi) |
| 13 | Checklists: Quality improvement in developing countries | Understand how checklists improve safety and how they are used; recognize some of the similarities and differences in improving quality of care in different settings. | Priya Agrawal and Alvin Kwok (World Health Organization, Harvard School of Public Health) |
| 14 | Evaluating process and outcome metrics in the context of quality | Learn how to design a measurement approach to systematically measure dimensions of quality in clinical care systems. | Lisa Hirschhorn (Harvard Medical School) |
| 15 | Evaluating process and outcome metrics: Patient Safety |
Learn how to design an evaluation study with appropriate clinical and economic outcomes. |
Pedro Delgado (Institute for Healthcare Improvement) |
| 16 | Organizational change: Positive deviance | Understand how to design and lead systems changes to achieve quality improvement within a heath-care organization. | Jessica Haberer (Massachusetts General Hospital) |
| 17 | Case study: Neri Clinics: Primary care in the developing world | Examine primary care in Zambia and the challenges of implementing technology to improve healthcare. | Patrick McSharry (Neri Clinics) |
| 18 | Organizational change: Lean sigma | Discuss the application of management models drawn from production industries to health-care delivery. | Andrew Kanter (Millenium Villages Project) |
| 19 | Collaborative change and wrap-up | Discuss the model of inter-organizational learning as an approach to quality improvement. | Chaitali Sinha (IDRC) |
| 20 | Student final project presentations | Each team gives a 10–12 minute presentation, followed by short Q&A. | Students |
| 21 | Health system design: Lessons from Rwanda and Haiti | Understand health system strengthening and its limitations. | Paul Farmer (Partners in Health) |
