Overview of Master’s Theses in Medical Informatics in Portugal: An 18-Year Synthesis

This study analyzes 159 master's theses in Medical Informatics from the University of Porto, spanning 2006 to 2023, to identify key trends, thematic focuses, and research gaps. Frequent topics include application and system development, database management, healthcare policy implementation, interoperability, medical imaging and signal processing, and clinical decision support systems leveraging artificial intelligence. The analysis highlights the program's practical focus on applying informatics to enhance healthcare. Emerging areas such as telemedicine, health information security, and patient-centered technologies present opportunities for further development. The next steps will include a comparative analysis with similar programs internationally, situating these findings within a broader academic and historical framework.