Master’s Programs
e-Health at the University of Rwanda
About UR-CEBE Master’s Programs
The use of modern Health Informatics systems in the healthcare sector has increased considerably in sub-Saharan Africa including the East African Region with the aim of improving the efficiency, cost-effectiveness, quality, safety, and equity, as well as resolving challenges associated with shortage of resources in health care delivery. While countries in sub-Saharan Africa including the East African Region have recorded an unprecedented rise in the use of Health Informatics, there has not been parallel increase in the competences of end users.
Limited knowledge and skills in the utilization and management of Health Informatics systems has been identified a one the key factors hampering their widespread use. Others include interoperability and cost related matters. The Masters of Science in Health Informatics, which is a multidisciplinary programme, was developed to strengthen the capacity to the professionals in the healthcare sector by providing them with essential skills to operate in an ever-increasing ICT integration in the healthcare environment.
Programme graduate attributes
The programme combines modules in computer science, health informatics, and health management. The core Health Informatics curriculum includes modules in Health Information Systems, Information Storage, Data retrieval, Management and Ethics, Research Methods and Outcomes Analysis. Special areas of concentration include Electronic Healthcare Records, Health Information Systems, and Health Enterprise Architecture.
Programme structure
Students are required to obtain 240 credits. The duration of the program is two academic years (i.e four semesters) for full time and 30 months for partime. As specified in the Rwandan National Qualification Framework for Higher Education Institutions (NCHE, 2007), the academic year will be divided into four semesters of 15 weeks each. Academic work and assessments will be carried out within the month in which the module is completed.
Students support
Each student will be allocated a supervisor. The students will meet their supervisors on a regular basis in the face-to-face mode (in the case of local lecturers) and online (in case of lecturers who are remote or abroad). The meetings will take place at least once a week with record keeping as per UR-CMHS guidelines. All students will be provided with study materials, assignments, exercises, guidelines, templates and supplementary materials. Those materials will also be posted on e-learning systems of UR-CEBE. Students will be encouraged to interact with lecturers through communication tools embedded into the e-learning system. The Health Informatics program offer online links for those students who have not shown adequate prerequisites in a specific domain. A central component of competency-driven learning requires high quality mentoring. All students will have academic and field mentors. The academic mentor will work closely with the field mentor to support the students in their academic activities and will monitor their progress, as well as participate in the assessment and in thesis development of the students.