Health informatics

Definition

The Medical computer science is the science of systematic development, administration, storage, processing and provision of data, information and knowledge in medicine and healthcare. It is guided by the pursuit, thus helping to shape the best possible health care.

To this end it uses theories and methods, procedures and techniques of computer science and other sciences and develops its own. By means of these describe model, simulate and analyze medical informatics / inside information and processes with the aim of

• / Assist physicians / inside, nurses and other health care stakeholders and patients inside and relatives,
• To make supply and research processes and to optimize them and
• Contribute to new knowledge in medicine and healthcare.

Thus, the data and information required for this purpose and the knowledge needed professionally recorded, stored, can be accessed, processed and distributed, develop, operate and evaluate medical informatics / interior infrastructure, information and communication systems, including those for Medical Devices. The Medical computer science understands this as a socio - technical systems whose working methods are in accordance with ethical, legal and economic principles.

Technical Commission on Medical computer science ( FAMI ) of the German Society for Medical computer science, Biometry and Epidemiology ( GMDS ) 2013

History

Precursors were applications in the late 1970s. Since then, the medical computer science has taken according to the equally growing demand and technological capabilities an enormous upswing. In recent years, in particular the Internet, above all, the emergence of e-health, the field has expanded.

The world's first undergraduate degree program in Medical computer science started in the winter semester 1972/73 as a cooperation of the University of Heilbronn and the Ruprecht -Karls- University of Heidelberg.

Applications

The stated aim is textbook according to " present at the right place the right person right in the right context and to interpret decisions and processes in medicine and health care to support the right information at the right time and to improve methods for structuring, acquisition, attitude, processing, communication and presentation of data, information and knowledge. " Ensure that the work processes of health care professionals can be supported. This is true for medical diagnosis, treatment, documentation, billing, epidemiology and disease prevention. Even the increasingly important objective of quality assurance is thereby supplied critical works. Because so processes and the ( mis) performance of the participants are traceable, so made ​​controllable in principle.

To achieve this goal, information must often systematically structured and classified some of them only once, which own professional field has established that medical documentation. With the help of these structured and interpretable by computer information so-called knowledge-based systems can be constructed that support the health-care workers, such as the diagnosis and treatment of patients. Structured information is also the basis for the use of cancer registries, as well as for scientific or economic calculations in health care.

Special application areas deal with image processing, so the diagnosis by computed tomography and other imaging techniques, as well as the bio-signal processing such as in operating theaters and intensive care units.

A relatively new area of ​​application is the computer-assisted detection (CAD - Computer Assisted Detection ) support of striking structures in X-ray images to the diagnostic process.

Dental informatics

Dental informatics is the application of information and communication technologies to support and further development of dental research, training and documentation. In the last 40 years it has developed in particular in the U.S. to own a discipline within medicine computer science.

As part of the subject-specific depression should, as in general medicine computer science, the right information at the right time at the right place speeds are provided. In the context of dentistry while having the chairside assistance and support to the work processes of people in dentistry special meaning. This is true for medical diagnosis, treatment, medical documentation, billing, and prevention. Even the increasingly important objective of quality assurance is thereby supplied critical works.