Document Detail


Medical informatics: past, present, future.
MedLine Citation:
PMID:  20615752     Owner:  NLM     Status:  MEDLINE    
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
OBJECTIVE: To reflect about medical informatics as a discipline. To suggest significant future research directions with the purpose of stimulating further discussion. METHODS: Exploring and discussing important developments in medical informatics from the past and in the present by way of examples. Reflecting on the role of IMIA, the International Medical Informatics Association, in influencing the discipline. RESULTS: Medical informatics as a discipline is still young. Today, as a cross-sectional discipline, it forms one of the bases for medicine and health care. As a consequence considerable responsibility rests on medical informatics for improving the health of people, through its contributions to high-quality, efficient health care and to innovative research in biomedicine and related health and computer sciences. Current major research fields can be grouped according to the organization, application, and evaluation of health information systems, to medical knowledge representation, and to the underlying signal and data analyses and interpretations. Yet, given the fluid nature of many of the driving forces behind progress in information processing methods and their technologies, progress in medicine and health care, and the rapidly changing needs, requirements and expectations of human societies, we can expect many changes in future medical informatics research. Future research fields might range from seamless interactivity with automated data capture and storage, via informatics diagnostics and therapeutics, to living labs with data analysis methodology, involving sensor-enhanced ambient environments. The role of IMIA, the International Medical Informatics Association, for building a cooperative, strongly connected, and research-driven medical informatics community worldwide can hardly be underestimated. CONCLUSIONS: Health care continuously changes as the underlying science and practice of health are in continuous transformation. Medical informatics as a discipline is strongly affected by these changes and is in a position to be a key, active contributor in these changes.
Authors:
Reinhold Haux
Publication Detail:
Type:  Historical Article; Journal Article     Date:  2010-07-07
Journal Detail:
Title:  International journal of medical informatics     Volume:  79     ISSN:  1872-8243     ISO Abbreviation:  Int J Med Inform     Publication Date:  2010 Sep 
Date Detail:
Created Date:  2010-08-13     Completed Date:  2010-08-26     Revised Date:  -    
Medline Journal Info:
Nlm Unique ID:  9711057     Medline TA:  Int J Med Inform     Country:  Ireland    
Other Details:
Languages:  eng     Pagination:  599-610     Citation Subset:  IM    
Copyright Information:
Copyright 2010 Elsevier Ireland Ltd. All rights reserved.
Affiliation:
Peter L. Institute for Medical Informatics, University of Braunschweig-Institute of Technology and Hannover Medical School, Muehlenpfordtstr. 23, D-38106 Braunschweig, Germany. Reinhold.Haux@plri.de
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MeSH Terms
Descriptor/Qualifier:
Delivery of Health Care / trends
History, 20th Century
History, 21st Century
Medical Informatics / history,  trends*
Quality of Health Care
Societies, Scientific

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