Foreword |
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Data, information and knowledge are the essence of modern healthcare. Every hour of everyday in the homes of patients or clients, in consulting rooms, clinics, practices, hospitals and health services, information is collected, processed, stored, retrieved and exchanged. Health informatics concerns itself with all these activities and with the optimal use of health-related information in support of clinical decision-making, problem solving and the assurance of excellence in healthcare. Health informatics faces special challenges in a healthcare system that must span a country the size and diversity of Australia. Modern information and communication technologies offer the opportunity to link healthcare providers with their patients and clients, with colleagues, researchers and educators, regionally, nationally and even internationally. Their success will depend on the coordination, promotion and development of the field of health informatics. To this end, the Health Informatics Society of Australia (HISA) was formed in 1993. HISA brings together a diversity of health professionals, information specialists, information technology vendors, academic and research staff, all with a common interest in the field of health informatics. It also provides the opportunity to assemble a body of knowledge about health informatics and its application in Australia. Health Informatics - an overview provides a comprehensive overview of that body of knowledge. Health Informatics - and overview surveys health informatics from a historical and global perspective and relates it to the practice of healthcare in Australia. It reviews the basic concepts of informatics and the application of the technologies and methodologies of the information sciences in healthcare. The use of health informatics and its implications for clinical practice, healthcare management, research and education are explored by health informatics practitioners from throughout Australia. I commend Health Informatics - an overview to anyone with a personal, professional or academic interest in the field of health informatics. It provides a foundation of knowledge upon which the future of health informatics will be built, enhancing the quality, accessibility and cost effectiveness of healthcare in Australia and beyond. Dr Ian Graham, |