Health Informatics and Health Professionals
Authors: A. Randall
Year: 2005

The roles of health professionals are overlapping and becoming increasingly interrelated. The implementation of the electronic health environment is rapidly encroaching on our professional playing fields, and we are forced to acknowledge our relationships with peers from other professions. How are we approaching the development of the electronic environment in our healthcare settings, and how are we approaching the need to update and enhance our knowledge of the new technologies? As I read through the following articles, a number of themes or concepts became apparent: technology or systems; human resources or people; evaluation or appraisal; and finally risk management. What stood out in the reports of research into all these categories was that the systems being integrated into our healthcare environments were selectively chosen to enhance the delivery of a service by a clinician or practitioner for the benefit of the patient, and to prevent human error, and that this required constant evaluation and analysis. Perhaps this is an obvious conclusion to the articles, but what we must consider are the various facets of the process and how we as health professionals must continuously strive to stay abreast of technologies, processes and practices through professional development, training in health informatics and developing an understanding of the relationship between the technology, our profession and our peers. I am often asked for a definition of the term metadata and often I have to stop and think of an appropriate answer. McFadden states that metadata are ‘properties or characteristics of other data, but do not include the data’. Other terms such as relational database, data warehousing and attributes all require some amount of knowledge of health informatics. In the articles in this issue of the Journal, we see how the authors have used their skills and knowledge of the technologies they have employed as well as other essential skills (such as project management, risk assessment and evaluation methodology), to utilise systems being implemented, and to assess the engagement and acceptance by colleagues and staff exposed to the new technology. Human interaction with technology can in fact be the key factor in the success or failure of a project and in essence comes down to the success or failure of the education and training the participant has received. Georgiou et al. look at the personnel interacting with the new electronic ordering system in a hospital environment and the impact on their daily work practices. Miller and Phillips note the various software suites used in radiation oncology, and the natural extension to the relational database of various treatment regimens. Another approach, taken by Bertelsen and Nøhr, and also by Ochieng and Hosoi, looks at the human element of information technology and the impact of technology on the workforce. Increasingly, we are faced with the implementation of new systems, software and databases which we are expected not simply to be able to operate, but to operate efficiently, accurately and proficiently. This in turn means for the health professional the need for continual professional development and an understanding of the very basics of health informatics.