Informatics for Health 2017: Advancing both science and practice

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Informatics
• Digital Health
• Big Data

Background:

• The Informatics for Health congress merged Medical Informatics Europe (MIE) and the Farr Institute International Conference.
• This special issue features 113 presentation and 149 poster abstracts from the 2017 event.

Purpose of the Study:

• To consolidate and present the diverse contributions from the Informatics for Health congress.
• To highlight the state-of-the-art in health informatics and its practical applications.

Main Methods:

• Compilation of abstracts from presentations and posters.
• Thematic organization of research findings within the special issue.

Main Results:

• The congress covered a broad spectrum of health informatics topics.
• Significant progress in health IT and data science was evident, though outcomes varied.

Conclusions:

• A unified approach integrating health informatics science and practice is crucial.
• The development of multi-level Learning Health Systems is essential for leveraging patient data and organizational interventions.
• Policy makers and funders should adopt a joined-up strategy for health informatics initiatives.