THE ROAD TO PROFESSIONALISM IN MEDICAL INFORMATICS - A PROPOSAL FOR DEBATE

Medical Informatics has not as yet reached professional status. Howeve r, as an expanding and increasingly important discipline in the delive ry of healthcare, it is important that it strives towards professional isation. In this article we consider the nature of professionalism, it s potential benefits and associated costs, We examine the potential fo r Medical Informatics to become a professional discipline and how far it has succeeded in this to date, describing th ree possible scenarios for the future of the discipline. We suggest steps towards the profes sionalisation of Medical Informatics and the roles of key players, inc luding academia, system developers, purchasers and users, and professi onal societies, We also put forward some possible criteria for a Medic al Informatics Professional. Finally, we make some general observation s concerning the way forward.