Health information strategy for New Zealand

The health information strategy signposts the direction for health information services to meet national health information requirements for the 1990s and beyond. The Department of Health is involved in the essential business of funding and monitoring the health sector, providing policy advice and managing resources. The New Zealand Health Information Service will provide the data and analysis from both electronic and manual based systems to support the 'business' of health. Information systems must meet the needs of users. This requires consistency between the information strategy and the direction and goals of the organisation it is designed to service. The approach to health information is consistent with and supports the overall strategy and direction for the development of health services in New Zealand. The development and implementation of the New Zealand Health Information Strategy has been and continues to be an exciting and daunting challenge. All health professionals, managers and the public want high quality, relevant and timely information. The task now is to harness the information technology to support the health sector by providing the vital information.