What is health informatics?

Abstract

Health informatics is a relatively recent jargon term for a subject that may be of great interest to health services researchers and policy makers. Most countries with highly developed health systems are investing heavily in computer hardware and software in the expectation of higher quality for lower costs. Recent systematic reviews have indeed demonstrated the health benefits of a range of electronic tools, particularly in the areas of prevention and therapeutic monitoring. However, there remains a relative lack of published evaluations of informatics tools and methods. Uncritical adoption of new systems based on the pressures of technological push continue to discredit policy makers who have had to commit significant resources despite inadequate information on what can be realistically expected from a proposed system. There are great opportunities for researchers interested in evaluation to fill the vacuum left by informaticists who are too busy writing their next line of code.