The editors of this book take on the challenge of depicting the complex landscape of health informatics. The book starts with an overview of its history and some potential future perspectives. It then explains the societal importance of health systems and how informatics could help improve a healthcare organization’s performance.

The book presents the operative aspects of informatics, such as interoperability, data modeling, and processes, and carefully describes the technical aspects of informatics in the context of healthcare services. Interestingly, when designing standards that respond to national specific requirements, the role of national standards is taken into serious consideration. The book also examines security, privacy, and law in relation to issues and challenges that come along with new technologies and standards.

The book also takes a look at stakeholders--those who benefit from the use of information technology (IT) in healthcare--and how to involve providers. It describes such applications as telemedicine, medication management, and decision support systems.

The book is a good starting point for those who are interested in the role of IT in the healthcare sector. Most importantly, it reflects on the important role information plays in the advancement of medical services.