E-health: A complex intervention in a complex system
Why we must invest now in Australia’s health informatics workforce:
Articles published recently in the Medical Journal of Australia by Australasian College of Health Informatics fellows Enrico Coiera and Jon Patrick highlight important issues that are inhibiting the progress of e-health in Australia.
Coiera makes the point that the “first rule of health informatics”, which says to start with the clinical problem to be solved rather than the technology we want to build, is often ignored to the peril of successful e-health project outcomes. Patrick differentiates “Good Health IT” from “Bad Health IT” and reminds us that – like a good clinician – good HIT does no harm to patients or staff.