Background

Determining the key sets of competencies necessary for a Health Informatics (HI) professional to practice effectively either solo or as a member of a multidisciplinary team has been challenging for the regulator and registration body responsible for the healthcare workforce in Saudi Arabia, which is the Saudi Commission for Health Specialties (SCFHS).

Objective

The aim of this study was to develop a HI competency framework to guide SCFHS to introduce a HI certification program that meets local healthcare needs and is aligned with the national digital health transformation strategy.

Methodology

A two-phase mixed methods approach was used in this study. For phase 1, a scoping review was conducted to identify HI competencies that have been published in the relevant literature. Out of a total 116 articles found relevant, 20 were included for further analysis. For phase 2, Saudi HI stakeholders (N = 24) that included HI professionals, administrators, academics, and healthcare professionals were identified and participated in an online survey, and asked to rank the importance of HI competencies distinguished in phase 1. To further validate and contextualize the competency framework, multiple focus groups and expert panel meetings were undertaken with the key stakeholders.

Results

For phase 1, about 1315 competencies were initially extracted from the included studies. After iterative reviews and refinements of codes and themes, 6 preliminary domains, 23 sub-domains and 152 competencies were identified. In phase 2, a total of 24 experts participated in the online surveys and ranked 58 out of 152 competencies as ‘very important/required’, each received 75 % or more of votes. The remaining competencies (N = 94) were included in a list for a further discussion in the focus groups. A Total of fourteen HI experts accepted and joined in the focus groups. The multiphase approach resulted in a competency framework that included 92 competencies, that were grouped into 6 domains and 22 subdomains. The six key domains are: Core Principles; Information and Communication Technology (ICT); Health Sciences; Health Data Analytics; Education and Research; Leadership and Management.

Conclusion

The study developed the Saudi Health Informatics Competency Framework (SHICF) that is based on an iterative, evidence-based approach, with validation from key stakeholders. Future work should continue the validation, review, and development of the framework with continued collaboration from relevant stakeholders representing both the healthcare and educational communities. We anticipate that this work will be expanded and adopted by relative professional and scientific bodies in the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) region.

中文翻译：

---

开发沙特卫生信息学能力框架的多角度方法

背景

确定健康信息学（HI）专业人员独自或作为多学科团队成员有效实践所必需的关键能力，对于负责沙特阿拉伯（即沙特阿拉伯）医疗保健工作人员的监管者和注册机构而言，一直是一个挑战卫生专业委员会（SCFHS）。

目的

这项研究的目的是开发一个HI能力框架，以指导SCFHS引入一个HI认证计划，该计划可满足当地医疗保健的需求，并与国家数字健康转型战略保持一致。

方法

本研究使用两阶段混合方法。对于第1阶段，进行了范围界定审查，以确定在相关文献中已发布的HI能力。在总计116篇相关的文章中，有20篇进行了进一步分析。在第2阶段，确定了包括HI专业人士，管理人员，学者和医疗保健专业人员在内的沙特阿拉伯HI利益相关者（N = 24），并参加了在线调查，并要求对第1阶段中区分的HI能力的重要性进行排名。结合能力框架，与主要利益相关者举行了多个焦点小组和专家小组会议。

结果

对于第1阶段，最初从纳入的研究中提取了约1315名能力。经过反复审查和完善代码和主题，确定了6个初步领域，23个子领域和152个能力。在第2阶段中，共有24位专家参加了在线调查，并在152个能力中将58个评为“非常重要/必需”，每人获得75％或以上的选票。其余的能力（N = 94）已包含在列表中，以供焦点小组进一步讨论。共有14位HI专家接受并加入了焦点小组。多阶段方法形成了一个能力框架，其中包括92个能力，这些能力分为6个领域和22个子领域。六个关键领域是：核心原则；信息和通信技术（ICT）；卫生科学；健康数据分析；教育与研究；领导和管理。

结论

该研究开发了沙特卫生信息学能力框架（SHICF），该框架基于一种循证，迭代的方法，并得到了主要利益相关者的验证。未来的工作应在代表医疗保健和教育界的相关利益相关者的持续协作下，继续框架的验证，审查和开发。我们预计，海湾合作委员会（GCC）地区的相关专业和科学机构将扩大和采用这项工作。