WHO views on perspectives in health informatics.

The wider use of telematics in public health and patient care will be a very important strategy for Member States, and one that can help bring expert knowledge to new areas and institutions in a cost-effective and rapid manner. However, such a strategy should take into account a number of elements that are given below. Health telematics systems and services should be dictated by health need s and by clinical and public health standards, not be technology-driven. The values and principles of Health for All (HFA), notably equity, sustainability, participation and accountability, should apply fully to the development of health telematics. Health telematics requires new skills from the relevant decision-makers , operators and users, calling for a mix of participatory education, skills training, continuing professional education and lifelong learning. Given the fast rate of technological obsolescence and changing price-performance ratios, countries will benefit from closer collaboration on the development of technological standards, compatibility, open architecture, competitive prices and pilot applications. Managing health information developments in an effective and rational way at the level of the European Region will require the major organizations active in this field to enter into more formal agreements of cooperation than is the case today; most importantly, this will involve World Health Organization (WHO), the European Commission and Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD).