Biomedical Informatics vs Healthcare Informatics: A Side-by-side Comparison
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Healthcare informatics is the use of information technology to acquire and study health data and improve the life of patients at large. Biomedical informatics, on the other hand, is one of the many sub-branches of health informatics. This field is concerned with the use of biomedical data in particular to help patients.
While there is substantial overlap between these two fields, there are some important distinctions.
The following article provides a side-by-side comparison of health informatics and biomedical informatics, their subfields, educational requirements, salary, and licensing information.
Biomedical Informatics | Healthcare Informatics | |
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Definition | Biomedical informatics is a branch of health informatics. This interdisciplinary field attempts to analyze the biomedical data to solve problems and discover the best way to improve human health. Biomedical informatics focuses on both traditional and computational methods in biology and medicine, as well as research in genomics, proteomics, pharmacology, and other medical disciplines. |
The ultimate goal of health informatics, also known as healthcare informatics, is to help clinicians provide superior healthcare. It is the practice of acquiring and studying health data, using medical concepts along with health information technology systems. The field is an integration of many disciplines such as computer science, healthcare sciences, cognitive science, and information science for assisting in the management of healthcare information. It is often used to describe the use of technology to improve patient care and better outcomes. Health informatics is a broader concept than biomedical informatics and directly related to healthcare treatment. |
Subfields | Biomedical informatics, in addition to being a subfield of health informatics, includes the following four subfields:
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Health informatics consists of several fields such as:
Other subfields include: biomedical informatics, translational bioinformatics, computational health informatics, nutrition informatics, and dental informatics. |
Typical Duties |
Typical responsibilities of a biomedical informatics expert include:
In the pharmaceutical drug industry, biomedical informaticians also create and handle pharmacovigilance programs to ensure the safety of drug testing and clinical trials. |
Responsibilities of a health informatician include:
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Featured Educational Programs |
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Work Environments |
A degree in biomedical informatics offers a wide range of career opportunities. Graduates can work in settings such as hospitals and health systems, community health centers, consulting services, academic institutions, health insurance companies, and pharmaceutical companies. Common job titles include:
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Healthcare informatics professionals work in diverse settings such as hospitals, clinics, surgical centers, government agencies and consulting firms. Job titles include:
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Salary |
Payscale (2019) states that the average salary for those with bioinformatics skills (a closely related discipline) is $81,000. Please note that salaries vary widely based on location, job title, experience, and other factors. |
Payscale (2019) states that the average salary for a health informatics specialist is $63,229. Please note that salaries vary widely based on location, job title, experience, and other factors. |
Licensing & Certification |
While there is not a specific certification or license for biomedical informaticians, there is a Clinical Informatics Certification, which is in a related discipline. |
Health information specialists are not required to be licensed. However, certification can help while getting a job. Certification options include: |
Resources | ||
The Bottom Line | Biomedical informatics is a subfield of health informatics, which develops, studies, and applies different theories and processes for generating, storing, and using biomedical data and information. It deals with biological systems and healthcare enterprises, as well as clinical research and practice. |
Health informatics, on the other hand, uses information technology for organizing and analyzing health records to improve healthcare outcomes. It is focused on the resources and devices used for acquiring, storing, and analyzing healthcare data. |