Edited by specialists in Health Informatics, this updated third edition includes a new section on Link2care and builds on the specifics of case studies to exemplify the various phases of introducing technological advancements into healthcare institutions.
By any measure, our field of clinical informatics is poised for rapid growth and expansion. A confluence of forces and trends, including pressure to contain health care costs and simultaneously expand access and coverage, a desire to reduce me- cal error and health care disparities, the need to better understand and optimize our clinical interventions and delivery systems, the need to translate new knowledge into practice quickly and effectively, and the need to demonstrate the value of our services, all call for the application of the methods and techniques of our field - some of which are well honed with experience, and some of which are still in the process of being discovered. Clinical informatics is not the only solution to what ails health care, but it is a critical component of the solution. Our methods and techniques are similar in many ways to the knowledge base of any interdisciplinary field: some are informed by experience, the trials and tribulations of figuring out what works through real world implementation, some are informed by controlled experimentation in randomized controlled trials and related studies, some are informed by critical observation and analysis, and some are developed through laboratory evaluation rather than field trials. As we develop both the basic science, as well as the applied science, of our field, there is a cri- cal role for learning from others by way of case reports and stories.
By any measure, our field of clinical informatics is poised for rapid growth and expansion. A confluence of forces and trends, including pressure to contain health care costs and simultaneously expand access and coverage, a desire to reduce me- cal error and health care disparities, the need to better understand and optimize our clinical interventions and delivery systems, the need to translate new knowledge into practice quickly and effectively, and the need to demonstrate the value of our services, all call for the application of the methods and techniques of our field - some of which are well honed with experience, and some of which are still in the process of being discovered. Clinical informatics is not the only solution to what ails health care, but it is a critical component of the solution. Our methods and techniques are similar in many ways to the knowledge base of any interdisciplinary field: some are informed by experience, the trials and tribulations of figuring out what works through real world implementation, some are informed by controlled experimentation in randomized controlled trials and related studies, some are informed by critical observation and analysis, and some are developed through laboratory evaluation rather than field trials. As we develop both the basic science, as well as the applied science, of our field, there is a cri- cal role for learning from others by way of case reports and stories.
From the reviews of the third edition: "This third edition of a useful overview of clinical informatics uses real life implementation cases and stories surrounding four major areas -- change management, patient safety, organizational impact and evaluation, and integration. ... The book is intended for healthcare professionals who are leading the transformation of healthcare by using information and knowledge. It is valuable not only for informatics clinicians, but also for anyone in healthcare, whether executives, managers, consultants, or students." (Katie Dejuras, Doody's Review Service, March, 2010)