Completed

NCT Number: NCT07690241

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.

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Key information

Conditions

Health Informatics Education

Age range

18 year–65 year

Sex eligibility

All sexes

Study type

Interventional

Phase

Not applicable

Primary location

Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences

Hetauda, Bagmati, 31206, Nepal

About this study

This controlled pre-test/post-test quasi-experimental study with a non-equivalent control group evaluated the effectiveness of the Health Informatics-471 (HI471) blended course at Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences (MBAHS) in Nepal. The intervention group (G1) consisted of all 17 Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) students enrolled in the 7th semester, who received the HI471 course. The control group (G2) consisted of 17 Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) 7th-semester students, randomly sampled from 29 eligible students, who received no dedicated HI instruction. The HI471 course integrated three blended modalities over 14 weeks: (i) online asynchronous LMS instruction (pre-recorded lectures, readings, quizzes), (ii) live synchronous Google Meet sessions, and (iii) in-person practical laboratory sessions covering EHR platforms, DHIS2, SPSS/R, and telemedicine interfaces. A validated 44-item Health Informatics Knowledge Assessment Tool (with weighted partial-credit scoring, maximum 100 points) and an 11-item binary technology awareness instrument were administered at T1 (Week 1, baseline) and T2 (Week 15, post-intervention). The primary outcome was the between-group difference in total knowledge gain scores (Δ = T2 - T1), analyzed using non-parametric statistics (Mann-Whitney U, Wilcoxon signed-rank, Friedman, McNemar) with bootstrap effect sizes. The study demonstrated large, significant knowledge gains in the intervention group (median +31.5 points, r=0.824, p<0.001) compared to the control group, with robust findings across three pre-specified sensitivity analyses. The intervention group achieved near-complete technology awareness (100% on 9 out of 11 tools). This research addresses the evidence gap for controlled educational evaluations in low- and middle-income country (LMIC) academic settings. The study protocol was approved by the MBAHS Institutional Review Committee (IRC-134-082-083), and all participants provided written informed consent. The study was conducted in compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki (revised 2013). The study was registered retrospectively.

Who can participate

Healthy volunteers accepted: Yes

Only the study team can determine whether someone qualifies for participation.

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).

Treatment and study plan

Health Informatics-471 Blended Course

Other

A 14-week blended educational course combining: (i) online asynchronous LMS instruction (pre-recorded lectures, readings, quizzes); (ii) live synchronous Google Meet sessions (2 hours, 3 days per week); and (iii) in-person practical laboratory sessions (4 hours per week) covering Electronic Health Records (EHR), DHIS2, SPSS/R, and telemedicine interfaces. No drug, device, biological product, or surgical procedure was involved. This is a purely educational/behavioral intervention delivered in an academic setting.

Primary outcomes

Change in Total Health Informatics Knowledge Score

Time frame: Baseline (Week 1) to post-intervention (Week 15)

Measured using the Health Informatics Knowledge Assessment Tool (HIKAT) - a validated 44-item multiple-select instrument with weighted partial-credit scoring. Scores range from 0 to 100 points, where higher scores indicate better health informatics knowledge. Administered to both groups at T1 (Week 1, pre-test) and T2 (Week 15, post-test). The primary causal contrast is the between-group difference in gain scores (Δ = T2 - T1), analyzed using Mann-Whitney U test with bootstrapped effect sizes.

Secondary outcomes

Domain-Specific Knowledge Gains Across Six HI Content Areas

Time frame: Baseline (Week 1) to post-intervention (Week 15)

Change in knowledge scores across six domain areas assessed using the Health Informatics Knowledge Assessment Tool (HIKAT): D1 General HI/Introduction to IT, D2 Operating Systems & Software, D3 Public Health & IT, D4 Database Management, D5+6 Data Analysis & Coding, and D7 Telemedicine. Each domain score is expressed as a percentage of the domain maximum (minimum: 0%, maximum: 100%), where higher scores indicate greater domain-specific health informatics knowledge. Domain gains are analyzed using Friedman test with Kendall W and Holm-corrected post-hoc Wilcoxon signed-rank tests within the intervention group.

Other outcomes

Change in Technological Awareness Across Digital Health Tools

Time frame: Baseline (Week 1) to post-intervention (Week 15)

Change in binary (Yes/No) awareness of 11 digital health tools: EHR, Telemedicine, HMIS, Public Health Informatics, GIS, HIMS, DBMS, Python, Programming Language, Telehealth Platforms, and Remote Patient Monitoring.

Sponsors and collaborators

Lead sponsor

Axon Infotech Research Academy Pvt. Ltd.

Other

Registry information

Official study title

Assessing the Comparative Effectiveness of Health Informatics Education: Knowledge Retention and Technological Awareness in Health Science Students

Acronym: HI-EDU

Important dates

Study start: 2026
Primary completion: 2026
Study completion: 2026
First posted: Jul 8, 2026
Registry last updated: Jul 8, 2026

OpenTrials presents study information sourced from ClinicalTrials.gov. The official registry record should be consulted for the latest information.

View the official ClinicalTrials.gov record (opens in a new tab)

This listing is for discovery and informational purposes only. It is not medical advice, does not guarantee that a study is recruiting, and does not determine eligibility. Contact the study team and a qualified healthcare professional when considering participation.