Health informatics: information and communication

In health care, the word ‘communication’ covers a wide range of interactions, including interpersonal communication, communication technology, medical education, health policy and mass communication. It takes many forms, from a brief informal talk between colleagues to formalised written documents between professionals. The essence of this verbal and written communication is the sharing of information. To make our information exchange more useful and to give it more meaning, the information communicated needs an appropriate framework. For example, the meaning of the diagnosis ‘schizophrenia’ is greatly enhanced by knowledge of the individual patient within the context (the framework) of his or her past history and family background.