Welcome to the Coding for Healthcare Professionals GitHub repository.
To read or use this book, please head over to the Coding for Healthcare Professionals website.
Before covering what this book is about and what you'll get out of it, let's quickly cover what this book isn't. This book is not an exhaustive guide on coding in healthcare. It isn't meant to replace other professional resources; rather, it aims to serve as a comprehensive source for healthcare professionals who are interested in learning how coding can enhance their professional capabilities and how it can be applied in the healthcare industry.
This book aims to be an interactive guide that provides a thorough introduction to coding for healthcare professionals, with some specific references to the industry in Wales. It is designed to be accessible for readers with little to no programming experience, while also catering to those with prior coding experience. Through this book, readers will gain a deeper understanding of programming languages, data storage and retrieval, data analysis and visualisation, machine learning, ethics in healthcare coding, and much more.
Our primary intended audience for this book consists of healthcare professionals in Wales who wish to learn how coding can be applied in their field. This may include clinicians, researchers, administrators, data analysts, or anyone interested in learning how coding can improve their professional abilities and enhance their understanding of healthcare technology.
No prior programming experience is required for this book. However, some knowledge of the healthcare industry in Wales is assumed.
Readers will learn valuable coding skills and techniques, which they can apply directly to their work in healthcare. They will gain a deeper understanding of programming languages and tools, data storage and retrieval, data analysis and visualisation, machine learning, and ethics in healthcare coding. By the end of the book, readers will be able to use coding tools to increase their efficiency and improve outcomes.
Initially, we envisage this book having the following chapters. However, this list will likely change multiple times as the book is developed.
Chapter 1: Introduction to coding
- Introduction to the book and its purpose
- What coding is and why it's important in healthcare
- Overview of programming languages and tools
- Examples of healthcare applications of coding in Wales
Chapter 2: Programming basics
- Understanding data types, variables, and operations
- Control structures and algorithms
- Functions and modules
- Debugging and error handling
Chapter 3: Data storage and retrieval
- Types of data storage: relational databases, NoSQL, file storage
- SQL and database management systems
- Retrieving data with SQL queries
- Data encryption and security
Chapter 4: Data analysis and visualisation
- Introduction to data analysis and its importance in healthcare
- Libraries and tools for data analysis: Pandas (and now Polars), NumPy, Matplotlib, and Seaborn, among others
- Data cleaning and preprocessing
- Data visualisation techniques to aid effective communication
Chapter 5: Machine learning in healthcare
- Machine learning: principles, types, and applications in healthcare
- Getting started with machine learning: tools and platforms
- Preprocessing and feature selection
- Supervised and unsupervised learning algorithms
Chapter 6: Ethics in healthcare coding
- Ethical considerations in healthcare coding
- Privacy, security, and data protection
- Understanding GDPR and other relevant regulations in Wales
- Best practice guidelines for ethical coding in healthcare
Chapter 7: Case studies
- Real-world examples of coding in healthcare
- Case studies of projects developed in Wales
- Interviews with healthcare professionals who have successfully used coding in their work
Chapter 8: Conclusion and resources
- Conclusion and summary of key takeaways
- Resources for further learning and development
- Links to relevant healthcare coding resources in Wales
Throughout the book, certain typographical conventions will be used to help readers highlight or differentiate text, including bold text for important concepts or terms, italicised text for definitions or emphasis on concepts, and code blocks to display and highlight code.
The idea behind this book was heavily driven by @aeturrell's Coding for Economists book and without it you probably would not be reading this. Due to this fact, we would first like to give thanks to Arthur.
We expect there will be many more to thank as this book is developed and will ensure everyone is acknowledged here.
Contributions are very welcome. To learn more, see the Contributor Guide.