The electronic health record (EHR) has promised to be a rich source of information to be meaningfully used in our understanding of health and disease. They are generated in increasing numbers as health organisations transition from paper based to digital records while evolving to include new and diverse variety of information available from ‘omics to wearables.
‘We are data rich but information poor’ – Jonathan Morris Director of Biomedical and Health informatics, Sydney Medical School, The University of Sydney is the sentiment expressed and shared by clinicians and health staff at large.
The under-utilisation of the rich information within electronic health records necessary to change clinical practice and patient outcomes underlies this sentiment. The lack of expertise and illustration of value in investment in the area are the drivers behind the current state of affairs.