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Public Health Informatics and Information Systems pp 3–18Cite as

Introduction to Public Health Informatics

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Part of the book series: Health Informatics ((HI))

Abstract

The transformation of public health by informatics is still in the nascent stages. Thus far, informatics in public health generally has been relegated to “pushing the broom” at the end of the parade: public health has tended to bring in informaticists to help resolve systemic issues such as non-interoperability, rather than realizing the full potential benefits that would accrue from their involvement at the outset.

To facilitate the understanding of Public Health Informatics, this chapter includes a brief review of public health, discussing the purpose, history, structural organization, and challenges of public health. Once the context of public health has been reviewed, the principles of Public Health Informatics are described, including some history and background, and the challenges encountered, as well as the drivers for change.

Although the discipline of public health informatics has much in common with other informatics specialty areas, it differs from them in several ways. These include (a) a focus on applications of information science and technology that promote the health of populations, rather than of individuals, (b) a focus on disease prevention, rather than treatment, (c) a focus on preventive intervention at all vulnerable points in the causal chains leading to disease, injury, or disability, and (d) operation within a governmental, rather than a private, context.

Drivers of change forcing public health professionals to be conversant with the development, use, and strategic importance of computerized health information systems include health reform, advances in information technology, the advent of Big Data, and continuation of disruptive innovation.

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Informatics and Clinical Epidemiology, Oregon Health & Science University, 5th Floor Biomedical Information Communication Center (BICC), 3181 S.W. Sam Jackson Park Rd., Portland, OR, 97239, USA

    J. A. Magnuson PhD

  2. US Department of Health and Human Services, Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health, 2201 Sixth Avenue, Seattle, WA, 98105, USA

    Patrick W. O’Carroll MD, MPH, FACPM, FACMI

Authors
  1. J. A. Magnuson PhD
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  2. Patrick W. O’Carroll MD, MPH, FACPM, FACMI
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to J. A. Magnuson PhD .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Medical Informatics, Oregon Health & Science University, Portland, Oregon, USA

    J.A. Magnuson

  2. Harbor-UCLA Medical Center, Torrance, California, USA

    Paul C. Fu, Jr.

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© 2014 Springer-Verlag London

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Magnuson, J.A., O’Carroll, P.W. (2014). Introduction to Public Health Informatics. In: Magnuson, J., Fu, Jr., P. (eds) Public Health Informatics and Information Systems. Health Informatics. Springer, London. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4237-9_1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-1-4471-4237-9_1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, London

  • Print ISBN: 978-1-4471-4236-2

  • Online ISBN: 978-1-4471-4237-9

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