Abstract:
Commenting on a paper by Van Bemmel (Medical Informatics, Art or Science? [1]), the
following questions are raised: What is the meaning of medical informatics?, How to
systematize medical informatics?, Is medical informatics an art, a science or a technology?.
It is argued that medical informatics is concerned with the systematic processing
of data, information and knowledge in medicine and health care, and that medical informatics
is not just the application of computers in these fields. Three classifications for
medical informatics research and education are presented. It is concluded that medical
informatics is a scientific medical discipline, similar to surgery, internal medicine,
epidemiology, or microbiology; and that medical informatics has a strong relationship
with the health sciences concerning its field of application, and to informatics concerning
its methods and tools. It is a cross-sectional discipline, with relevance for virtually
all other specialties of medicine and the health sciences. This is the reason for
its impact on research and education in these specialties. It also causes that the
quality of the processing of data, information and knowledge has a direct and considerable
effect upon the quality of health care in practically all these specialties.
Keywords:
Medical Informatics - Health Informatics - Medicine - Health Care