Abstract
The 21st century is said to be a century of the information society. We should be
aware that continuing progress in information processing methodology (IPM) and information
and communication technology (ICT) is changing our societies, including medicine and
health care. At the start of the third Millennium we should ask ourselves, what progress
can we expect from modern IPM/ICT for healthcare in the coming decade, what concerns
does the information society have to face, and what steps have to be taken. These
questions were addressed by clinicians, researchers and industrial representatives
in a panel discussion at the joint conference ISCB-GMDS-99 of the International Society
of Clinical Biostatistics and the German Society for Medical Informatics, Biometry
and Epidemiology. Important aspects raised by the panelists and in the subsequent
discussion were: (1) the main goal of expanding IPM/ICT should be to further improve
quality of care, while maintaining reasonable costs; (2) with the support of modern
IPM and ICT the boundaries between inpatient and outpatient care will fade away enabling
a more efficient, patient-centered health care; (3) cooperation between health-care
professionals will increase; there will be different ways of communication between
them and with the patient, including modern ICT and the Internet; (4) society must
be concerned with achieving equal opportunities in being informed about and in using
new ICT; (5) misuse of data will remain a serious problem and can become an obstacle
to progress.
Keywords
Medical Informatics - Health Informatics - Information Processing Methodology - Information
and Communication Technology - Healthcare.
