Health Informatics Education Effectiveness in Nepal

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a blended Health Informatics (HI) course (HI471) on knowledge retention and technology awareness among health science students in Nepal. Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) students (intervention group, n=17) received a 14-week HI471 course combining online, virtual, and in-person practical sessions. A control group of Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) students (n=17) continued their standard curriculum without dedicated HI instruction. Both groups completed a validated 44-item knowledge assessment and an 11-item technology awareness survey at baseline (Week 1) and post-intervention (Week 15). The primary outcome was the between-group difference in knowledge gain scores. Results showed that BPH students significantly improved their total knowledge scores (median +31.5 points, r=0.879), while the B.Pharm control group showed no significant change. BPH students achieved 100% awareness of 9 out of 11 digital health tools at post-test. This study provides strong evidence that the HI471 blended course is highly effective in building informatics competencies in a low- and middle-income country (LMIC) academic setting. The study was retrospectively registered.

Inclusion Criteria: * Active enrollment in the 7th semester of the Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) program (intervention group) or the Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) program (control group) at Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences (MBAHS). * Voluntary written informed consent obtained prior to any study procedure. * Completion of both T1 (Week 1, baseline) and T2 (Week 15, post-intervention) assessments. Exclusion Criteria: * Withdrawal from the study before completion of all study procedures. * Incomplete paired data (missing T1 or T2 assessment).