Medical Informatics and Telehealth

Biography

Biography: Henriette Loeffler-Stastka

Abstract

Learning, competence development and research processes in medicine need several strategies to facilitate new diagnostic and therapeutic ways. The optimal collaboration between creative design thinking and biomedical informatics provides innovation for the individual patient and for a medical school or society. Fast processes in observing and understanding are needed to generate ideas
for the development and testing prototypes: First, declarative knowledge has to be acquired and collected in basic medical sciences, knowledge that is in fact available and can be accessed on the conscious and preconscious level in long-term memory. Second, associative learning describes the formation of neuronal connections between a neutral stimulus and a second. This conditioning is an important form of learning and discovering and founded in neural associations. Third, polythematic-crosslinking thinking is needed as ability to link information (thoughts, symbols, images, scenes) in a meaningful way. These steps are a typical intellectual ability of gifted learners and researchers, creative enough that they succeed to combine previously seemingly unrelated areas to each other and drive innovation. Utilizing the flexibilities of an e-learning platform, a case based blended learning (CBBL) framework consisting of A) case based textbook material, B) online e-CBL with question driven learning scenarios and C) simulated patient (SP) contact seminars was developed and implemented in multiple medical fields. Satisfaction with this kind of learning lead to formation of innovative learning and publication groups that began to develop critical reflection on curricular development, patient-centered clinical reasoning processes and research questions – both in students and teachers.