Download PDF
Methods Inf Med 2001; 40(02): 156-162
DOI: 10.1055/s-0038-1634479
Original Article
Schattauer GmbH

Information Processing in Healthcare at the Start of the third Millennium: Potential and Limitations

R. Haux
1   Institute for Medical Biometry and Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Erlangen
,
P. Knaup
1   Institute for Medical Biometry and Informatics, University of Heidelberg, Erlangen
,
A. W. Bauer
2   Institute for the History of Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Erlangen
,
W. Herzog
3   University Hospital for Internal Medicine, University of Heidelberg, Erlangen
,
E. Reinhardt
4   Division for Medical Engineering, Siemens AG, Erlangen
,
K. Überla
5   Institute for Medical Informatics, Biometry and Epidemiology, University of Munich, Neuherberg
,
W. van Eimeren
6   Medis-Institute for Medical Informatics and Systems Research, GSF-Research Center for Environment and Health, Neuherberg
,
W. Wahlster
7   German Research Center for Artificial Intelligence (DFKI), Saarbrücken, Germany
› Author Affiliations
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
07 February 2018 (online)

    Permissions and Reprints

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.
 

  • References

  • 1 Jaspers K. Der Arzt im technischen Zeitalter (The Physician in the Technical Age). Klinische Wochenschrift. November 1958. Cited from: Jaspers K. Der Arzt im technischen Zeitalter. Munic: Piper; 1986: 39.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 2 International Medical Informatics Association, Working Group 1: Health and Medical Informatics Education.. Recommendations of the International Medical Informatics Association (IMIA) on Education in Health and Medical Informatics. Method Inform Med 2000; 39: 267-77. http://www.imia.org/wg1.
    PubMedGoogle Scholar
  • 3 Jaspers K. Die Idee der Universität (The Idea of the University). Berlin: Springer; 1946. Cited from the reprint of 1980: 79-80.
    Google Scholar