| dc.description.abstract | The world of biomedical research and health care has changed remarkably in
the 25 years since the fi rst edition of this book was undertaken. So too has the
world of computing and communications and thus the underlying scientifi c
issues that sit at the intersections among biomedical science, patient care, public
health, and information technology. It is no longer necessary to argue that
it has become impossible to practice modern medicine, or to conduct modern
biological research, without information technologies. Since the initiation of
the human genome project two decades ago, life scientists have been generating
data at a rate that defi es traditional methods for information management
and data analysis. Health professionals also are constantly reminded that a
large percentage of their activities relates to information management—for
example, obtaining and recording information about patients, consulting colleagues,
reading and assessing the scientifi c literature, planning diagnostic
procedures, devising strategies for patient care, interpreting results of laboratory
and radiologic studies, or conducting case-based and population-based
research. It is complexity and uncertainty, plus society’s overriding concern
for patient well-being, and the resulting need for optimal decision making, that
set medicine and health apart from many other information- intensive fi elds.
Our desire to provide the best possible health and health care for our society
gives a special signifi cance to the effective organization and management of
the huge bodies of data with which health professionals and biomedical
researchers must deal. It also suggests the need for specialized approaches and
for skilled scientists who are knowledgeable about human biology, clinical
care, information technologies, and the scientifi c issues that drive the effective
use of such technologies in the biomedical context. | en_US |
