Health Informatics Education Effectiveness in Nepal

NCT07690241 | Completed

• 2 other identifiers: HI471-MBAHS-2026IRC-134-082-083
• Study Type: interventional
• Target: 34
• Locations: 1 country
• Sites: 1

Brief Summary

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.

Conditions

Health Informatics Education

Outcome Measures

Primary Outcomes (1)

• Change in Total Health Informatics Knowledge Score

  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.

  Baseline (Week 1) to post-intervention (Week 15)

Secondary Outcomes (1)

• Domain-Specific Knowledge Gains Across Six HI Content Areas

  Baseline (Week 1) to post-intervention (Week 15)

Other Outcomes (1)

• Change in Technological Awareness Across Digital Health Tools

  Baseline (Week 1) to post-intervention (Week 15)

Study Arms (2)

BPH Intervention Group

EXPERIMENTAL

Bachelor of Public Health (BPH) 7th-semester students (n=17) who received the 14-week Health Informatics-471 (HI471) blended course, consisting of online asynchronous LMS instruction, live synchronous Google Meet sessions, and in-person practical laboratory work covering seven HI content domains.

Other: Health Informatics-471 Blended Course

B.Pharm Control Group

NO INTERVENTION

Bachelor of Pharmacy (B.Pharm) 7th-semester students (n=17) who continued their standard curriculum without any dedicated Health Informatics instruction. This group served as the non-equivalent control group.

Interventions

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.

BPH Intervention Group

Eligibility Criteria

• Age: 18 Years - 65 Years
• Sex: all
• Healthy Volunteers: Yes
• Age Groups: Adult (18-64), Older Adult (65+)

You may qualify if:

• 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.

You may not qualify if:

• Withdrawal from the study before completion of all study procedures.
• Incomplete paired data (missing T1 or T2 assessment).

Sponsors & Collaborators

• Axon Infotech Research Academy Pvt. Ltd.: lead

Study Sites (1)

Madan Bhandari Academy of Health Sciences

Hetauda, Bagmati, 31206, Nepal

Location

Study Officials

• Dip Bahadur Singh

  Axon Infotech Research Academy

  PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR

Study Design

• Study Type: interventional
• Phase: not applicable
• Allocation: NON RANDOMIZED
• Masking: NONE
• Purpose: OTHER
• Intervention Model: PARALLEL
• Sponsor Type: OTHER
• Responsible Party: PRINCIPAL INVESTIGATOR
• PI Title: Principal Investigator

Model Details: Two parallel groups: BPH intervention group and B.Pharm control group, assessed at baseline and post-intervention (15 weeks).

Study Record Dates

• First Submitted: July 2, 2026
• First Posted: July 8, 2026
• Study Start: April 15, 2026
• Primary Completion: June 20, 2026
• Study Completion: June 30, 2026
• Last Updated: July 8, 2026

Record last verified: 2026-07

Data Sharing

• IPD Sharing: Will not share

Locations

NE (1)