Advanced Data Visualisation for Healthcare

Create effective healthcare data visualisations

Transform complex health data into visualisations that actually help people make better decisions.

This course explores design fundamentals, chart selection, interactive dashboards, and visual storytelling tailored to healthcare contexts.

You’ll learn core concepts and design clear, accurate, and engaging visuals supporting evidence-informed decision-making.

Understand visualisation theory, design, and perception

Explore core data visualisation concepts including data types, aesthetic mappings, coordinate systems, scaling, and colour use. You’ll learn how human perception shapes what people notice first and how to use visual hierarchy effectively.

You’ll critically evaluate chart types, learning to spot misleading designs and choose formats that genuinely support statistical analysis.

Learn practical techniques from static charts to interactive dashboards

Develop practical visualisation skills using survey data, time series, demographic, and financial data. You’ll move from designing high-quality static graphics and infographics to creating interactive dashboards and applications.

You’ll design visuals that are accurate, usable, and engaging for busy health and social care audiences.

Explore data storytelling and real-world applications

Learn visual storytelling and analytical communication to turn complex analyses into coherent visual narratives. You’ll apply advanced techniques to real-world healthcare contexts, integrating multiple data sources.

You’ll build awareness of accessibility, professional interface standards, and emerging technologies for career development in data visualisation.

This course is ideal for health and social care professionals like pharmacists, nurses, GPs, practice managers, healthcare policymakers, and NHS staff who work with complex data and want to present insights clearly for colleagues, patients, and decision-makers.

The following tools would be useful if you want to try some of the visualisation examples as you follow the course.

Jamovi, a free and open statistical spreadsheet package which can be used on Windows, MacOS and Linux, or online via a browser.

Microsoft Excel - if you have an existing Microsoft account

This course is ideal for health and social care professionals like pharmacists, nurses, GPs, practice managers, healthcare policymakers, and NHS staff who work with complex data and want to present insights clearly for colleagues, patients, and decision-makers.

• Develop an in-depth understanding of visualisation theory and design, including perceptual foundations, chart selection, aesthetic judgement, accessibility, and professional interface standards.
• Design and produce effective static and interactive data visualisations, from charts, slides, and infographics to dynamic web-based applications with the Shiny framework, with a focus on usability, the user experience, and on engagement.
• Demonstrate how to analyse and visualise complex data, including survey data, demographic breakdowns, time series, financial and transactional datasets while also considering bias, uncertainty, and data limitations.
• Apply advanced visualisation techniques to real-world analytical contexts, integrating a range of data sources and visual formats to support interpretation, and communication amongst professionals and within healthcare.
• Demonstrate competence in using data visualisation for data storytelling, awareness of emerging technologies, and understanding of career pathways and professional practice in advanced data visualisation.