The document summarizes a workshop on progress with professionalism in health informatics. It discusses the workshop format which included perspectives from health informatics, IT, other health professions, and academics. The vision is for health informatics to be recognized as a valued profession globally by defining standards, maintaining a register of professionals, and assuring processes. The overarching challenge is for all those spending substantial time in health informatics to be registered and meet standards of conduct and competence on an ongoing basis. Specific issues to consider include scope, senior buy-in, priorities, risk perception, pace of change, and self-worth in the field.

1. Workshop 16.11.2011
Progress with Professionalism
Jean Roberts
Director (Standards), UKCHIP
jean@hcjean.demon.co.uk

2. Workshop format
• Perspectives
–HI in general
–IT
–Other Health Professions
–Academic and Operational
• Interactive session
• Feedback and Next Steps

3. INFORMATICS
(IT, IM and Information
HEALTH INFORMATICS Science)
COMMUNITY
Knowledge
ICT, IT, Management
Portfolio
incl
Programme Information
Computer
Project Management
Science /
Management Managing
studies
HI
Clinical Health Services
Education
Informatics Records
Training
+ User Management
Development
Experience
Research
HEALTH Note : ALL
constituencies have
public &private
health, academic and
commercial existences

4. Stating the Obvious?
• Delivering support to complex care by multi-
professional / cross-sectoral organisations, 24/7
• Informatics increasingly recognised as a core function
of the NHS and other care delivery bodies.
“informatics staff involved in the production and operation of major eHealth
developments aimed at supporting more effective healthcare services in many
countries must be ‘fit to practice’ professionals”
• Informatics is more business critical every year

5. Vision: Health Informatics to be
recognised as a valued profession
globally
• Promoting advancement and dissemination of knowledge
about health informatics
• Defining and agreeing standards of professional conduct
and competence required of people working in health
informatics
• Publishing and maintaining an open register of health
informatics professionals in or for the UK and …?
• Demonstrating its own professional authority and
legitimacy through assurance of its own processes and
procedures

6. Over-arching challenge
• All persons who spend a substantial
proportion of their role or time working in
health informatics
• in or for the <geography> should be registered
with <xx>CHIP and thereby
• certified as professionals
• who meet defined standards of professional
conduct and competence
• on an ongoing basis

7. HI-specific Issues to consider
• Brand, scope and scale of Health Informatics
– A ‘Confusion’ of workforce standards
• Senior buy-in to recognising professionalism
• Priority to get working systems and solutions
• Decision support is a ‘given’ until quality is
challenged – tradition of ‘blame the computer’
• Proving Value: risk to ‘not direct patient care’
• Pace of Change
• Self-worth