title: Social care informatics - the missing partner in ehealth.
abstract: To the individual, social care can be an essential part of maintaining health, as is reflected by the WHO definition of health as being one of wellbeing. However, health informatics currently narrowly restricts itself to health organizations' activities. Digital records in social care are increasing, raising the need to recognize the area of social care informatics. This new domain needs support and nurture, whilst the delivery of social and related care needs to be harmonized with healthcare delivery. In turn, this raises important new issues as to how to best support the citizen, especially when they are dependent, including issues of information sharing, service co-ordination, sharing of meaning and objectives, and of respect for autonomy.
authors.affiliation: School of Public Policy and Professional Practice, Keele University, Keele, Staffordshire, ST5 5BG, UK. m.j.rigby@keele.ac.uk
authors.forename: Michael
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Rigby
authors.forename: Penny
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Hill
authors.forename: Sabine
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Koch
authors.forename: Jarmo
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kärki
mesh_terms: D006801:Humans; D048088:Informatics / Q000458:organization & administration*; D010353:Patient Education as Topic / Q000458:organization & administration; D012944:Social Support