Summary
The evolution of the informatics field, now with a well-accepted and crucial role
in modern biomedicine and health care delivery, is the result of creative research
over seven decades. The success is due in part to recognition that, throughout the
process, investigators have documented not only what they have done but what they
have learned, stimulating and guiding the next generation of projects. Such iterative
experimentation, learning, sharing, and progressing is typical of all scientific disciplines.
Yet progress depends on identifying key lessons, insights, and methods so that others
can use them. This paper addresses the nature of scientific progress in informatics,
recognizing that while the field is motivated by applications that can improve biomedicine
and health, the scientific underpinnings must be identified and shared with others
if the field is to progress optimally.
Keywords
Medical informatics - biomedical informatics - health informatics - scientific research
- informatics applications
