This book should be considered by anyone in health care with an interest in how their electronic record systems are developed.
This book presents its readers with a scientific approach to systems informatics. This is presented in an easy readable format. The focus is to provide the readers with an information system, which records and manages information relating to patient care and safety. As a reader, the idea is that by systematically working through this book they will gain substantial information to facilitate a working knowledge of design structure and implementation.
The book is substantial in its size and content. The information deilvered ranges from the need for an informatics system while considering how it can be planned and designed into a workable format. Proceeding from this point the book considers the relevance of trialling a system and subsequently designing and delivering staff training. Moving forward, the authors then discuss implementing the system in the workplace and maintaining it for daily use in the relevant clinincal/non-clinincal environments. In addition to this they also give consideration to on going maintenance and security as well as terminology to be employed in the programmes used, how its effectiveness will be analysed and how it will progress into the future.
The highlight of this book is that it addresses an area that is prevalent in many health care environments; whether this is because an electronic record system has been brought in or the area is in a period of transition to bring in an electronic health records system.
The strengths of this book is its readability. The implementation and installation of an electronic informatics system is not generally an easy read. The authors have worked hard to write a complex book in a format, which is reader friendly. The weakness of this book is that there is not one uniformed informatics system and therefore the information that has been presented may not apply to all countries or clincal areas.
This book should be considered by anyone in health care with an interest in how their electronic record systems are developed. Also those with an interest in looking at how systems could be simplified or updated for ease of use may find this book an interesting read.