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There are 4 modules in this course
This course introduces the field of digital health and the key concepts and definitions in this emerging field. The key topics include Learning Health Systems and Electronic Health Records and various types of digital health technologies to include mobile applications, wearable technologies, health information systems, telehealth, telemedicine, machine learning, artificial intelligence and big data. These technologies are assessed in terms of the key opportunities and challenges to their use and the evidence of their effectiveness in the field of digital health in relation to public health and healthcare globally. The use and application of digital health for COVID-19 forms a case study demonstrating the use of different types of digital health technologies to address key aspects of the response to the virus globally.
This module will introduce the key concepts and definitions in digital health. You will soon learn that it is a rapidly changing and emerging field. We will also ask for your thoughts early in this week about your own understanding of digital health. You will then be introduced to the growth in digital health technologies, the global distribution of these technologies and the inequalities that exist in terms of access to, and usage of, different forms of digital health technologies to include smartphones, social media and access to the internet. Given this introduction, you will then be introduced to key examples of how digital health projects have been implemented badly, with an example from the UK through the National Programme for IT (NPfIT) and examples of where it has been extremely successful, for example, Estonia.
Personalised and Population Digital Health Approaches•17 minutes
Doing Digital Health Badly•5 minutes
The Digital Healthcare System in Estonia: Interview•14 minutes
16 readings•Total 360 minutes
About Imperial College London•10 minutes
About the digital health team•10 minutes
How to be successful in this course?•10 minutes
Grading Policy •10 minutes
Glossary•10 minutes
Digital Health: Definitions in the literature•45 minutes
Your key concepts from the literature •5 minutes
The Mobile Economy 2020•40 minutes
Reflections: The Mobile Economy 2020•10 minutes
Grand challenges in Digital Health•45 minutes
Why Digital Health projects succeed or fail•20 minutes
Reaction to the Failed UK NPfIT•45 minutes
Reflections: Reaction to the UK's failed NPfIT•10 minutes
Estonia’s Digital Health system•40 minutes
Reflections: Estonia’s Digital Health system•10 minutes
The impact of Digital Health on the quality and safety of health care•40 minutes
2 assignments•Total 50 minutes
Reflection: The impact of Digital Health on the quality and safety of health care•20 minutes
Introduction to Digital Health - knowledge check•30 minutes
4 discussion prompts•Total 35 minutes
Nice to meet you!•10 minutes
What does Digital Health mean to you?•10 minutes
Examples of Digital Health•5 minutes
Digital Health: successful and unsuccessful projects•10 minutes
3 plugins•Total 45 minutes
Pre-Course Survey•15 minutes
Your key concepts from the literature - Mentimeter•15 minutes
Your key concepts from the literature - Word Cloud•15 minutes
Electronic Health Records and Learning Health Systems
Module 2•9 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you will firstly be introduced to Electronic Health Records and will learn about what they are, how they have been used and the opportunities and challenges to their use. The focus will then turn to Learning Healthcare Systems, identifying the key components of a good Learning Health System, and analyse some examples of a Learning Health System through strong and weak examples. You will then hear from an expert working at the interface of statistics, data science, and digital health through his work on improving health care safety and quality. Interoperability, a key concept describing how data can be shared across health systems is examined. There will be a variety of learning activities including readings and interactive activities to complement your learning in this module.
Introduction to Electronic Health Records•5 minutes
Interview with Professor Alex Bottle•13 minutes
8 readings•Total 320 minutes
Electronic Health Records in Use: Supporting Population Health •45 minutes
Electronic Health Records in Use: Delivering Benefits During the COVID-19 Pandemic •30 minutes
Learning Health Systems — An Introduction•15 minutes
The Science of Learning Health Systems•90 minutes
Optional Readings•10 minutes
Complexities of Learning Health Systems•60 minutes
Optional Readings•10 minutes
Examples and illustrations of how Health Systems learn•60 minutes
5 assignments•Total 110 minutes
Reflection: Electronic Health Records in Use: Supporting Population Health •30 minutes
Reflection: Electronic Health Records in Use: Delivering Benefits During the COVID-19 Pandemic •15 minutes
Reflection: The Science of Learning Health Systems•20 minutes
Reflection: complexities of Learning Health Systems •20 minutes
Knowledge check: Electronic Health Records and Learning Health Systems •25 minutes
2 discussion prompts•Total 70 minutes
Learning Health Systems in Context•45 minutes
Health Systems quality and safety issues•25 minutes
Introduction to Digital Health Technologies – Part I
Module 3•6 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you will start to be introduced to a range of digital health technologies and their use and application in public health and healthcare globally. The focus of this week will be on mobile applications, wearable technologies and health information systems. You will learn about what they are, examples of how they have been used and advantages and disadvantages to their use. You will also be provided with a real-world case study on the use of a mobile application for Ebola contact tracing and monitoring in Sierra Leone in 2015 during the Ebola epidemic and will be introduced to the opportunities and challenges of applying digital health technologies for epidemic preparedness and response. There will be a variety of learning activities to complement what you have learnt including readings and interactive activities.
Mobile Applications and Wearable Technologies •4 minutes
Apps and Wearables and the Healthcare System•13 minutes
Introduction to the Ebola Contact Tracing Study•5 minutes
Practical examples of the use of mHealth applications in India and Sierra Leone •26 minutes
Podcast: The Use of Digital Tools for Data Collection for public health•16 minutes
9 readings•Total 255 minutes
Classification of Digital Health Interventions•60 minutes
Introduction to the types of technologies•10 minutes
Evidence on the effectiveness of mHealth interventions•45 minutes
Optional: Contact tracing in Guinea using an app•10 minutes
Digital health and epidemic preparedness and response •45 minutes
Optional readings•10 minutes
Health Information Systems•45 minutes
Essential features of a Health Information System•15 minutes
The use of digital tools for data collection for public health•15 minutes
2 assignments•Total 60 minutes
mHealth systematic review •30 minutes
Introduction to Digital Health Technologies•30 minutes
1 discussion prompt•Total 10 minutes
Digital Technologies commonly used in your country•10 minutes
Introduction to Digital Health – Part II
Module 4•7 hours to complete
Module details
In this module, you will be introduced to other digital health technologies such as telehealth and telemedicine, social media, machine learning, artificial intelligence, gamification and behavioural sciences and big data. You will explore these areas through videos, supported readings, reflective questions and interactive activities that assess the role, uses, advantages and disadvantages of these technologies in public health and healthcare globally. This builds on the digital health technologies that you learn about in the previous module.
Imperial College London is a world top ten university with an international reputation for excellence in science, engineering, medicine and business. located in the heart of London. Imperial is a multidisciplinary space for education, research, translation and commercialisation, harnessing science and innovation to tackle global challenges.
Imperial students benefit from a world-leading, inclusive educational experience, rooted in the College’s world-leading research. Our online courses are designed to promote interactivity, learning and the development of core skills, through the use of cutting-edge digital technology.
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Learner reviews
4.5
266 reviews
5 stars
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3 stars
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2 stars
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1 star
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GA
4·
Reviewed on Sep 9, 2025
great course! it gave me a comprehensive view of Digital Health topics and its interventions.
P
PC
5·
Reviewed on Jun 29, 2024
Nice course who want to learn about Digital Health
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NA
5·
Reviewed on Oct 2, 2023
The course introduces you to general knowledge on digital health ,  use of digital technologies for health, and implementing digital health solutions in health care .
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What will I get if I subscribe to this Specialization?
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Is financial aid available?
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