I would like to thank those members of the Association who responded to my call for information relating to the state of affairs at their local and regional areas. From that a picture has emerged and it is these concerns which I will lay before you today. It is also the slogan of the Association. We are therefore talking about knowledge networks and knowledge networking for health. This is based upon a firm belief that there is a compelling relationship between health information and health outcomes.
Information is a resource for planning and a fuel for action.
I should like to focus on the range of health information that is needed within the New Zealand health sector, the adequacy of our health information resources, the quality of health information, access to health information and conclude with an overview of initiatives which are aimed at improving the current situation. There are two types of information, hard and soft. Hard information is quantitative information. Our task as health information professionals is to assist our users in making good decisions. It includes formulating goals, determining alternative courses of action, selecting the best course and controlling implementation of the decision.