title: Informatics challenges for the impending patient information explosion.
abstract: As we move toward an era when health information is more readily accessible and transferable, there are several issues that will arise. This article addresses the challenges of information filtering, context-sensitive decision support, legal and ethical guidelines regarding obligations to obtain and use the information, aligning patient and health professionals' expectations in regard to the use and usefulness of the information, and enhancing data reliability. The authors discuss the issues and offer suggestions for addressing them.
authors.affiliation: Department of Health Services Administration, School of Health Related Professions, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL 35294-3361, USA. eberner@uab.edu
authors.forename: Eta S
authors.initials: ES
authors.lastname: Berner
authors.forename: Jacqueline
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Moss
mesh_terms: D003219:Confidentiality; D020000:Decision Support Systems, Clinical / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000639:trends*; D005544:Forecasting; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D048088:Informatics / Q000941:ethics / Q000331:legislation & jurisprudence / Q000639:trends*; D016247:Information Storage and Retrieval; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized / Q000592:standards / Q000639:trends*; D011786:Quality Control