Health and Biomedical Informatics: Opportunities and Challenges for a Twenty-First Century Profession and its Education

William Hersh

doi:10.1055/s-0038-1638595

Yearbook of Medical Informatics, Table of Contents

Yearb Med Inform 2008; 17(01): 157-164
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1638595

Original Article

Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart

Health and Biomedical Informatics: Opportunities and Challenges for a Twenty-First Century Profession and its Education

William Hersh

¹Department of Medical Informatics & Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University Portland, OR, USA

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Summary

Objectives Characterize the health and biomedical informatics workforce, its professionalization, and its education.

MethodsLiterature review and analysis.

Results Although the value of health information technology is increasingly well-documented, there are still barriers to its widespread adoption around the world. One of those barriers is a well-defined and competent workforce for developing, evaluating, and implementing systems. There are plenty of opportunities in health and biomedical informatics, yet there also is still much that we do not know about this workforce and its education.

Conclusions Continued efforts must be made to characterize and understand the optimal organization and education of this workforce.

Keywords

Informatics as a profession - informatics education - workforce - curriculum

Full Text

References

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