The Fourth International "Nursing Informatics '91" Preconference sessions held in Melbourne Australia on the 12th and 13th April 1991 hosted by the Nursing Computer Group, Victoria Inc. (N.C.G.V.) and I.M.I.A. Working Group 8. The aims of both the International Committee and the N.C.G.V.are to provide our Nursing Colleagues nationally and internationally with access to a wide range of information about computers awareness literacy, and, the sharing of experiences. As technology advances and nurses understand their particular practice setting needs, progress in the area of nursing informatics will be an expanding arena for Industry and knowledge. Papers such as those presented here will contribute greatly to the dissemination of todays knowledge base and hopefully assist in our expansion as we move toward the year 2000. The vision and subsequent motivation of hosting an International Informatics Meeting is that a few very dedicated nurses can encourage their colleagues to approach this newly defined specialty with openness and enthusiasm. If nurses are not able to attend these sessions the papers presented here demonstrate care and commitment to the learning opportunities afforded nurses in Australia and Internationally.

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.

Like the three editions that preceded it, this new edition targets markets in health care practice and educational settings. It addresses practicing nurses and nursing students, together with nursing leadership and nursing faculty. It speaks to nursing informatics specialists and-in a departure from earlier editions of this title-to all nurses, regardless of their specialty, extending its usefulness as a text as noted below. In recognition of the evolving electronic health information environment and of interdisciplinary health care teams, the book is designed to be of interest to members of other health care professions (quality officers, administrators, etc.) as well as health information technology professionals (in health care facilities and in industry). The book will include numerous relevant case studies to illustrate the theories and principles discussed, making it an ideal candidate for use within nursing curricula (both undergraduate and graduate), as well as continuing education and staff development programs. This book honors the format established by the first three editions by including a content array and questions to guide the reader. This 4th edition also includes numerous brief case studies that help to illustrate the theories and practices described within the various chapters. Most of these "mini-cases" are provided by members of professional nursing organizations that comprise the TIGER Initiative. These mini-cases are listed in the front matter and highlighted via formatting throughout the text.