Collaborative Health Informatics: A Multidisciplinary Approach

Abstract

Modern healthcare is confronted with serious issues that are threatening its sustainability. Increasing costs and complexity, progressive population ageing and rapidly spreading pandemics triggered by new disease strains and by increased population displacements fuelled by conflicts and climate change are all major contributors to the healthcare quandary. In this context, effective cooperation and interoperability of the participants in the healthcare effort becomes paramount. Collaboration is an essential factor but also a major challenge, as typically healthcare institutions are hierarchical and heterogeneous due to various administrative, geographical and historical reasons. As the pressure on healthcare resources and management cost is constantly increasing, governments can no longer rely on information and organisational silo paradigms for managing population wellbeing. Innovative holistic and integrated models and procedures taking into account all essential aspects, elements, participants and their life cycle are necessary if these challenges are to be successfully met. Based on previous research and applications, this paper argues that such necessary artefacts can be built using a life cycle-based holistic paradigm enabled by advances in Information Systems, Interoperability, Collaborative Networks and Enterprise Architecture. This approach aims to provide a sound platform for sustainable solutions to both long and short-term challenges to population health and well-being.