Keywords
Health information systems - medical informatics - biomedical and health informatics
- patient care - research
1. On Digitization and Health Information Systems
1. On Digitization and Health Information Systems
Digitization has meanwhile become a priority for governments and societies (e.g. [[1], [2]] for Germany). In the context of the United Nation’s Sustainable Development Goals
it is mentioned that the “spread of information and communications technology and
global interconnectedness has great potential to accelerate human progress, to bridge
the digital divide and to develop knowledge societies, as does scientific and technological
innovation across areas as diverse as medicine and energy” [[3]]. Health care and biomedical research in this new information age is affected in
many ways (e.g. [[4], [5], [6], [7]]). According to the World Health Organization, information and communication technologies
for health are “recognised as one of the most rapidly growing areas in health today”
[[8]].
Health information systems in this context play an important role. They have developed
significantly during the last decades. As examples, for the 1980ies [[9]], the seminal paper of Peter Reichertz on this topic is mentioned here, also [[10]] and [[11]] for the first decade of the 21st century ([[11]] directly referring to [[9]]), as well as [[12]] and [[13]] for current reflections. As outlined in [[14]], the trend from institution-centered (e.g. hospital-centered) information processing
for health care to information processing, supporting patient-centered care beyond
one health care institution has already been mentioned in [[11]], section 3.2 (see also figure 6 on p. 277, line 2). It was there as well mentioned
that health information systems should support both patient care and biomedical research
([[11]], section 3.4, see also figure 6 on p. 277, line 4). In spite of this progress during
the last decades, there is still a significant need for improving health information
systems’ architectures and functionalities, in particular for the benefit of patients
as well as for the progress of biomedical/health sciences and of computer/information
sciences.
2. On the Contents of this Focus Theme on the German Medical Informatics Initiative
2. On the Contents of this Focus Theme on the German Medical Informatics Initiative
In this focus theme of Methods of Information in Medicine, reports are presented on
a national experiment: The German Medical Informatics Initiative. Funded by the German
Federal Ministry of Education and Research with about 150 million Euro in its currently
starting “development and networking phase” (details in [[15], [16]]), it has already now, in a still rather initial state, a significant impact on
the development of health information systems in Germany. It can be expected that
the outcomes of this large national research project will significantly influence
biomedical and health informatics research worldwide.
Two editorials provide introductions to the German Medical informatics Initiative.
-
In [[15]] Stefanie Gehring and René Eulenfeld introduce the German Medical informatics Initiative
on behalf of its funding institution, the German Federal Ministry of Education and
Research.
-
In [[16]] Sebastian Semler, Frank Wissing, and Ralf Heyder take the viewpoint of accompanying
institutions of the German Medical informatics Initiative.
These editorials are to some extent redundant in content, while, however, reflecting
the initiative from different viewpoints.
Then the four consortia, having been positively evaluated after the initiative’s “conceptual
phase” (details in [[15], [16]]) will introduce their concepts. The consortia are (in alphabetic order):
-
DIFUTURE – Data Integration for Future Medicine [[17]],
-
HiGHmed – Heidelberg-Göttingen-Hannover Medical Informatics [[18]],
-
MIRACUM – Medical Informatics in Research and Care in University Medicine [[19]], and
-
SMITH – Smart Medical Information Technology for Healthcare [[20]].
For better readability all consortia followed an identical structure with three major
sections on governance and policies, on architectural framework and methodology, and
on use cases.
3. From Present to Future?
3. From Present to Future?
When planning this Focus Theme with consortia’s leading medical informatics colleagues
and with the journal’s Editor-in-Chief, we were aware of the fact that reporting about
the German Medical Informatics Initiative at this early stage cannot contain results
and has to focus on presenting concepts and plans. As it is a large national experiment
on an important topic, we are convinced that communicating on these concepts and plans
to an international audience is of importance. Choosing for publication Methods Open,
the Gold Open Access part of Methods of Information in Medicine, makes the manuscript
of this Focus Theme immediately broadly available in a fair way through the journal’s
tandem model ([[21]], p. 484).
Will the German Medical Informatics Initiative push health information systems from
the current present state to a new future state? Will this progress be for the benefit
of patients as well as for the progress of biomedical/health sciences and of computer/information
sciences? Will progress be mainly limited to Germany or will it have an international
impact? Answers to all these questions will hopefully be given in the future, after
the German Medical Informatics Initiative’s development and networking phase or even
later.
