Nakayama Takeo
Department of Health Informatics, Kyoto University School of Public Health, Japan.
J Epidemiol. 2006 May;16(3):93-100. doi: 10.2188/jea.16.93.
Epidemiology provides extremely valid information and evidence regarding human health. Epidemiologic findings with regard to major illnesses must be amassed, enhanced, and expanded further into related areas as a foundation for evidence-based medicine that is based on clinical practice, as well as for evidence-based healthcare that includes public health-related issues. Epidemiology should be recognized not only by epidemiologists but also by a variety of people, including specialists in other areas for healthcare and medicine, people in law and media, policy makers, and the general public. A system is needed that can create information for facilitating appropriate decision-making with issues related to clinical medicine and public health. The principles and methodology of epidemiology are used as a base for developing a field of health informatics. The objective of health informatics is to establish a system for facilitating the flow and circulation of health and medical information. Health informatics has potential applications for the creation, communication, and use of information, and the discipline is being expanded as a practical applied science in search of solutions. This report represents an effort to expand the scope of health informatics and extend the applications of epidemiology by working with individuals in other disciplines and the public.
流行病学提供了关于人类健康的极其有效的信息和证据。必须收集、加强和进一步扩展关于重大疾病的流行病学研究结果，并将其拓展到相关领域，以此作为基于临床实践的循证医学以及涵盖公共卫生相关问题的循证医疗保健的基础。流行病学不仅应得到流行病学家的认可，还应得到包括其他医疗和医学领域的专家、法律和媒体人士、政策制定者以及普通公众在内的各类人群的认可。需要一个能够生成信息以促进与临床医学和公共卫生相关问题的适当决策的系统。流行病学的原理和方法被用作发展健康信息学领域的基础。健康信息学的目标是建立一个促进健康和医疗信息流动与传播的系统。健康信息学在信息的创建、交流和使用方面具有潜在应用，并且作为一门寻求解决方案的实用应用科学，该学科正在不断扩展。本报告旨在通过与其他学科的人员和公众合作，扩大健康信息学的范围并拓展流行病学的应用。
