An informatics curriculum for psychiatry

Information technology is growing at a tremendous rate, becoming a part of all aspects of the practice of psychiatry. Medical informatics is the study of the use of information in medicine. As information management becomes a greater part of the definition of psychiatric practice, it becomes critical that an understanding of medical informatics principles as applied to psychiatric practice should be incorporated into psychiatric residency training. The authors outline the components and objectives of such a curriculum, focusing on basic tasks of patient care, communication, education, and practice management. The authors conclude with a discussion of issues affecting implementation, including assessment of resources and program planning.