Preface to the Fourth Edition Broad issues regarding the nature of data, information, and knowledge pervade all areas of application, as do concepts related to optimal decision making. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on these topics but mention computers only in passing. They serve as the foundation for all that follows. Chapter 4 on ognitive science issues enhances the discussions in Chaps. 2 and 3, pointing out that de aking and behavior are deeply rooted in the ways in which information is processed by the human mind. Key concepts underlying sys tem design, human-computer interaction, patient safety, educational technol- ogy, and decision making are introduced in this chapter Chapters 5 and 6 introduce the central notions of computer architectures nd software engineering that are important for understanding the applications described later. Also included is a discussion of computer-system design, with explanations of important issues for you to consider when you read about specific applications and systems throughout the remainder of this book. Chapter 7 summarizes the issues of standards development, focusing in particular on data exchange and issues related to sharing of clinical data. This important and rapidly evolving topic warrants inclusion given the evolution of the health information exchange, institutional system integration chal lenges, and the increasingly central role of standards in enabling clinical sys tems to have their desired influence on healthcare practices. Chapter 8 addresses a topic of increasing practical relevance in both the clinical and biological worlds: natural language understanding and the pro- cessing of biomedical texts. The importance of these methods is clear when one considers the amount of information contained in free-text dictated notes or in the published biomedical literature. Even with efforts to encourage structured data entry in clinical systems, there will likely always be an impor- tant role for techniques that allow computer systems to extract meaning from natural language documents Chapter 9 is a comprehensive introduction to the conceptual underpin gs of biomedical and clinical image capture, analysis, interpretation and use. This overview of the basic issues and imaging modalities serves as back ground for Chap. 20, which deals with imaging applications issues, high lighted in the world of radiological imaging and image management(e. g, in picture archiving and communication systems) Chapter 10 addresses the key legal and ethical issues that have arisen when health information systems are considered. Then, in Chap. 11, the challenges associated with technology assessment and with the evaluation of clinical information systems are introduced. Chapters 12-26(which include several new chapters in this edition)survey many of the key biomedical areas in which computers are being used. Each chapter explains the conceptual and organizational issues in building that type of system, reviews the pertinent history, and es the barriers to success- Chapter 27 is a new chapter in the fourth edition, providing a summary of the rapidly evolving policy issues related to health information technology. Although the emphasis is on US government policy, there is some discussion of issues that clearly generalize both to states(in the US)and to other countries. The book concludes in Chap. 28 with a look to the future-a vision of howx Broad issues regarding the nature of data, information, and knowledge pervade all areas of application, as do concepts related to optimal decision making. Chapters 2 and 3 focus on these topics but mention computers only in passing. They serve as the foundation for all that follows. Chapter 4 on cognitive science issues enhances the discussions in Chaps. 2 and 3, pointing out that decision making and behavior are deeply rooted in the ways in which information is processed by the human mind. Key concepts underlying sys￾tem design, human-computer interaction, patient safety, educational technol￾ogy, and decision making are introduced in this chapter. Chapters 5 and 6 introduce the central notions of computer architectures and software engineering that are important for understanding the applications described later. Also included is a discussion of computer-system design, with explanations of important issues for you to consider when you read about specifi c applications and systems throughout the remainder of this book. Chapter 7 summarizes the issues of standards development, focusing in particular on data exchange and issues related to sharing of clinical data. This important and rapidly evolving topic warrants inclusion given the evolution of the health information exchange, institutional system integration chal￾lenges, and the increasingly central role of standards in enabling clinical sys￾tems to have their desired infl uence on healthcare practices. Chapter 8 addresses a topic of increasing practical relevance in both the clinical and biological worlds: natural language understanding and the pro￾cessing of biomedical texts. The importance of these methods is clear when one considers the amount of information contained in free-text dictated notes or in the published biomedical literature. Even with efforts to encourage structured data entry in clinical systems, there will likely always be an impor￾tant role for techniques that allow computer systems to extract meaning from natural language documents. Chapter 9 is a comprehensive introduction to the conceptual underpin￾nings of biomedical and clinical image capture, analysis, interpretation and use. This overview of the basic issues and imaging modalities serves as back￾ground for Chap. 20, which deals with imaging applications issues, high￾lighted in the world of radiological imaging and image management (e.g., in picture archiving and communication systems). Chapter 10 addresses the key legal and ethical issues that have arisen when health information systems are considered. Then, in Chap. 11, the challenges associated with technology assessment and with the evaluation of clinical information systems are introduced. Chapters 12–26 (which include several new chapters in this edition) survey many of the key biomedical areas in which computers are being used. Each chapter explains the conceptual and organizational issues in building that type of system, reviews the pertinent history, and examines the barriers to success￾ful implementations. Chapter 27 is a new chapter in the fourth edition, providing a summary of the rapidly evolving policy issues related to health information technology. Although the emphasis is on US government policy, there is some discussion of issues that clearly generalize both to states (in the US) and to other countries. The book concludes in Chap. 28 with a look to the future—a vision of how Preface to the Fourth Edition