Informed decision making: the new paradigm.

Abstract

Health care cannot survive in its present form. It is becoming unaffordable for a large share of the country's population. Its quality and effectiveness inexplicably vary between communities and across time. With all these problems, the process of health care can be understood. All that are needed are good, basic data; its access, management, and analysis; and then presentation of facts and observations. Together, these functions describe the translation of data into information--the field of medical informatics. Information about such management concerns as clinical efficiency (which largely is related to appropriateness and cost-effectiveness) and about the realities of day-to-day medical practice can be used to improve the value of health care. Informed decision making is based solely on confidence that, given the right information and understanding, we can all make the right decisions. The right decisions mean better patient acceptance and satisfaction, a sense of value enhancement by payers, and support of the Hippocratic tradition.