The Clinical Engineering–Information Technology Professional Practice Interface: The Core Professional Task of Clinical Informatics and Its Relation to Clinical Engineering

Clarifying the professional roles between clinical engineers and clinical informaticists potentially will reconcile the clinical engineering and information technology divide, yet the applied science of informatics lacks a defined core task relative to engineering design. Presenting a case study about the design and deployment of a clinical decision support system, we define a core task of informatics. Analyzing this case study given the complexity of clinical systems, we conclude that informatics seeks to solve problems at a hierarchical level above clinical engineering. Attention to the systems complexity of solutions to clinical problems is therefore necessary to demarcate roles and responsibilities between the professions.
Source: Journal of Clinical Engineering - Category: Medical Devices Tags: FEATURE ARTICLES Source Type: research