Module Specifications
Academic Year 2026 - 2027
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Description This module prepares students to actively contribute to digital transformation in health and social care, in line with national and international digital health policy and competency frameworks. Adopting a solution-focused and critically informed approach, the module explores how technology-enabled models of care, including telehealth, virtual wards, and digitally integrated services, are reshaping contemporary healthcare delivery. Students will critically examine the theoretical, professional, and practical dimensions of digital health, health informatics, and nursing data, with particular emphasis on data standards, interoperability, workforce planning, and information-enabled care. The module develops advanced skills in retrieving, analysing, managing, and communicating health and nursing data across a range of digital platforms in the context of big data and complex healthcare systems. Ethical, legal, and professional considerations related to digital health are embedded throughout, including data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, and the responsible use of artificial intelligence and automation in healthcare practice. Through applied learning activities, students will develop digital health literacy, critical appraisal skills, and professional competence to evaluate and utilise emerging technologies in accordance with regulatory standards, organisational policy, and person-centred models of care. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Learning Outcomes 1. Critically analyse the role of digital transformation in contemporary health and social care, including telehealth, virtual wards, and technology-enabled models of care, and evaluate their impact on service delivery and patient outcomes. 2. Demonstrate advanced knowledge of digital health, health informatics, and nursing data standards, and critically appraise their role in supporting workforce planning, integrated care, and national and international digital health policy. 3. Interpret, analyse, and synthesise complex health and nursing data from multiple digital sources, including clinical, operational, and population-level datasets, to inform practice, education, and service improvement. 4. Critically evaluate ethical, legal, and professional issues associated with digital health technologies, including data governance, privacy, cybersecurity, algorithmic bias, and responsible use of AI in healthcare. 5. Apply rigorous methodological principles to the collection, management, visualisation, and communication of health data, recognising issues of data quality, representativeness, interoperability, and limitations. 6. Critically appraise and evaluate emerging digital technologies, including artificial intelligence, automation, virtual simulation, and decision-support systems, in accordance with professional standards, regulatory requirements, and organisational policy. | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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All module information is indicative and subject to change. For further information,students are advised to refer to the University's Marks and Standards and Programme Specific Regulations at: http://www.dcu.ie/registry/examinations/index.shtml |
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Indicative Content and Learning Activities
Digital Transformation in Health and Social Care Digital transformation vs digitisation Technology-enabled models of care Telehealth, remote monitoring, and virtual wards Impact on patient outcomes, safety, access, and experience Digital Health, Informatics & Nursing Data Foundations of health informatics Nursing data, standardised terminologies, and clinical coding Interoperability, data quality, and information flows Workforce data and service planning Data, Analytics & Decision Support Clinical, operational, and population health data Data visualisation and communication Introduction to analytics for quality improvement Decision-support systems and digital dashboards Artificial Intelligence, Automation & Emerging Technologies AI in healthcare: current uses and limitations Automation, robotics, and workflow optimisation Virtual simulation and extended reality (XR) in education and practice Critical appraisal of digital and AI-enabled tools Ethics, Governance & Professional Accountability Data governance, privacy, and cybersecurity Ethical use of AI and algorithmic bias Regulatory, professional, and organisational standards Digital professionalism and accountability Implementing and Evaluating Digital Health Innovations Implementation science and change management User-centred and co-designed digital solutions Evaluating digital health interventions in practice Sustainability and future directions | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Indicative Reading List Books:
Articles:
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Other Resources
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