Biomedical Informatics: Computer Applications in Health Care and Biomedicine

The practice of modern medicine and biomedical research requires sophisticated information technologies with which to manage patient information, plan diagnostic procedures, interpret laboratory results, and carry out investigations. Biomedical Informatics provides both a conceptual framework and a practical inspiration for this swiftly emerging scientific discipline at the intersection of computer science, decision science, information science, cognitive science, and biomedicine. Now revised and in its third edition, this text meets the growing demand by practitioners, researchers, and students for a comprehensive introduction to key topics in the field. Authored by leaders in medical informatics and extensively tested in their courses, the chapters in this volume constitute an effective textbook for students of medical informatics and its areas of application. The book is also a useful reference work for individual readers needing to understand the role that computers can play in the provision of clinical services and the pursuit of biological questions. The volume is organized so as first to explain basic concepts and then to illustrate them with specific systems and technologies.

From the book reviews:

“The book provides an extensive discussion of many important theoretical aspects of bioinformatics. … This book is useful for reference, with respect to several of the topics listed in the table of contents. … If one is faculty or student in an academic informatics department, or wishing to draw upon this academic corpus to consider applications in clinical informatics practice, then this would be a useful book.” (Raymond D. Aller, Journal of Pathology Informatics, Vol. 5 (42), 2014)

"An introduction to an important area in biomedical informatics with suggested additional reading and highlighted concepts. The book is intended to be used in formal courses by health professions students and by biomedical computing students. In addition, it is designed to serve as a reference for established practitioners, conveying concepts in biomedical informatics while providing illustrative examples. … is an essential contribution to enhancing education in biomedical informatics. The update is timely and relevant and it compares especially favorably in breadth as an introductory text." (David M. Liebovitz, Doody’s Review Service, July, 2008)

"The third edition, renamed Biomedical Informatics in recognition of the converging course of clinical systems with systems that support molecular biology and genetics … shows substantial growth in both pages and breadth of coverage relative to earlier editions. … overall the book is commendably readable … . In addition to its primary audience of students … the text’s accumulated wisdom and lessons learned can help educate any health professional responsible for selecting information systems to be acquired and used in office and institutional settings." (Daniel Masys, JAMA, Vol. 296 (21), December, 2006)

Biomedical Informatics: Computer Applications in Health Care and Biomedicine meets the growing demand of practitioners, researchers, educators, and students for a comprehensive introduction to key topics in the field and the underlying scientific issues that sit at the intersection of biomedical science, patient care, public health, and information technology (IT). This 4th edition reflects the remarkable changes in both computing and health care that continue to occur and the exploding interest in the role that IT must play in care coordination and the melding of genomics with innovations in clinical practice and treatment.  New chapters have been introduced on the health information infrastructure, consumer health informatics, telemedicine, translational bioinformatics, clinical research informatics, and health IT policy, while the others have all undergone extensive revisions, in many cases with new authors. The organization and philosophy are unchanged, focusing on the science of information and knowledge management and the role of computers and communications in modern biomedical research, health, and health care.  Emphasizing the conceptual basis of the field rather than technical details, it provides an introduction and extensive bibliography so that readers can comprehend, assess, and utilize biomedical informatics and health IT.  The volume focuses on easy-to-understand examples, a guide to additional literature, chapter summaries, and a comprehensive glossary with concise definitions of recurring terms for self-study or classroom use.

Department of Biomedical Informatics, Columbia University Medical Center.