For over a decade, Working Group 8 (Nursing) of the International Medical Informatics Association has sponsored, in conjunction with a host country, a triennial international symposium on nursing informatics. Each conference consists of a main conference and an invitational working conference following the main event. In 1991, the symposium was held in Melbourne, Australia and hosted by the Nursing Computer Group, Victoria and the Royal College of Nursing, Australia. Nine Pre-Conference workshops offered participants indepth exploration of a variety of information technology topics. The main conference attracted 700 participants from 19 countries and over 150 peer-reviewed papers. The invitational working conference was held at Whitehall in Sorrento, Victoria and involved the individual and collective work of 40 experts in nursing informatics from around the world. This group addressed the theme HEALTH CARE INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY: IMPLICATIONS FOR CHANGE. Health care organizations are faced with growing demand for information technology and must cope effectively with the processes and outcomes of its introduction. As the impact of information technology is felt both on the local and the global level, the conference selected for its theme a three tiered approach to information technology and organisational change - through the lens of society, the organization, and the individual. The conference was organized around three forms of contribution: plenary talks, working groups, and individual contributions by the participants. Part one of this book contains the papers of the plenary speakers for the conference.

I Health Care Information Technology: Implications for Change

Plenary papers
1 On the Interaction Between Health Informatics, the Individual and Society
2 Development of an Information Technology Culture within the Organization
3 Information Leads to Compliance?
4 Health Care Information Technology: Implications for Change - Summary of the Working Conference
II Health Care Information Technology: Implications for Change
Working Group Papers
Working Group Paper One
Working Group Paper Two
Working Group Paper Three
Working Group Paper Four
III Health Care Information Technology: Implications for Change
Individual Papers
The Identification of Communication Flow Patterns and Information Needs of an Organization
Information and Communication Flow Patterns: A Vital Part of the Process of Organizational Change
Planning Your Clinical Information System for the End User
Software Development: Complexity and Professional Roles
The Pros and Cons of Customized Development Versus Software Package
Computer Application Development - User, Vendor or Profession?
What's In It For Us? Information Technology Implementation -- A Process of Change
Managing the Change Process for a Smooth Implementation
Managing Change for Smooth Implementation
Benefits of Bedside Terminals - Myth or Reality?
Facilitating and Enhancing the Role of the Nurse: The Nurse and the Clinical Workstation
The Electronic Community: Will Computer-Mediated Communication Have an Impact on Nursing Practice?
Organizational Changes as a Result of Computerization -- The Peijas-Rekola Case
Information Technology and the Management of Preventive Services
Experiences with Selection and Implementation of an Integrated Hospital Information System
Managing the ChangeProcess for a Smooth Implementation: The Case of Leuven
Computer-Based Training for HIS: A User-Driven Contemporary Curriculum Model
From Implementation to Maintenance: How to Keep Staff Motivated?
The Computer as a Partner in Nursing Practice: Implications for Curriculum Change
Computer-Based Training for H.I.S. Orientation: Efficient, Effective and Friendly
Data Protection and a Secure Environment for Nursing: Information Technology Security
Can Patient Care Documentation Be Standardized for Today's Computer?
Preparing for a Career in Nursing Informatics
Career Opportunities in Nursing Informatics
Spiralling Costs of Health Care -- Can Computers Help to Contain Costs
Patient Classification and Computers: Tools for Patient Care Management in the Nursing Service
Guidelines for Measuring Quality Health Care or What to Do Until We Have a Large Database
Access to Care: Realities of the American Marketplace
Author Index
Key Words Index.