Information processing in healthcare at the start of the third millennium:Potential and limitations

The 21st century is said to be a century of the information society. We sho uld be aware that continuing progress in information processing methodology (IPM) and information and communication technology (ICT) is changing our s ocieties, including medicine and health care. At the start of the third Mil lennium we should ask ourselves, what progress can we expect from modern IP M/ICT for healthcare in the coming decade, what concerns does the informati on society have to face, and what steps have to be taken. These questions w ere addressed by clinicians, researchers and industrial representatives in a panel discussion at the joint conference ISCB-GMDS-99 of the Internationa l Society of Clinical Biostatistics and the German Society for Medical Info rmatics, Biometry and Epidemiology. Important aspects raised by the panelis ts and in the subsequent discussion were: (1) the main goal of expanding IP M/ICT should be to further improve quality of care, while maintaining reaso nable costs; (2) with the support of modern IPM and ICT the boundaries betw een inpatient and outpatient care will fade away enabling a more efficient, patient-centered health care; (3) cooperation between health-care professi onals will increase; there will be different ways of communication between them and with the patient, including modern ICT and the Internet; (4) socie ty must be concerned with achieving equal opportunities in being informed a bout and in using new ICT; (5) misuse of data will remain a serious problem and can become an obstacle to progress.