Health IT Database Assessment
Students will select and evaluate a clinical health care database. They will demonstrate how it can be
used to assist with patient care by creating a patient case study based on their own experience and/or
imagination. Students will give a 10-minute presentation of their evaluation and case study in a live
small-group discussion and provide feedback on the presentations of others in their group. Final
evaluation reports will be submitted in the form of a brief scholarly essay (350–500 words). Reports are
due before the start of Week 9 live session. Both the presentation and report should include:
• A clear descriiption of the database, including its background, purpose, intended audience,
function, and how it can be accessed.
• An evaluation of strengths and weaknesses, including ease of use, credibility, and overall
usefulness.
• Details of their patient case study followed by a descriiption of how the database can be used
and an explanation of the outcome. (The case study descriiption will not contribute to the word
count, but brevity is appreciated.)
Below are links to several health-care–related databases or to directories containing links to many databases. Feel free to select one from among these, or choose another that you have found on your own. Databases that provide mainly bibliographic information would not be a good choice for this activity (e.g., MEDLINE or PubMed).
Bonus points will be awarded for finding a new and interesting database from any of the database directories listed below, or from some other source (Instructor’s discretion).
ClinicalTrials.gov
PubChem
UBC Clinical Anatomy
PDR.net
NLM: Healthcare Portal (directory)
NLM: Directory of Databases (directory)
AHRQ: Data Resources (directory)
FIU Medical Databases A–Z (directory)
Attached is a sample essay.
