ABOUT INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY

This section discusses the role of medically qualified professionals who choose to spend some or all of their time working in the information technology industry. Health informatics is currently ‘coming of age’ with the growing understanding of the importance of clinical information systems the delivery of health care. As a result there are increasing and diverse opportunities for clinicians to work in the area of IT. Jobs tend to focus less on technical skills related to hardware design or software programming, and concentrate rather on information management, business analysis, systems implementation and behaviour change. Individuals who have gained experience in both clinical practice and a relevant area of IT are of particular value in this industry. Practitioners need to possess a good understanding of clinical and health management issues and are increasingly being required to undertake some level of formal training in IT.