Elke Duncker
After WWII, the emerging field of Medical Informatics took advantage of a close relationship with the simultaneously developing computer technology. Many proponents of the field believe that the emergence of Medical Informatics has been technology driven. These approaches emphasize technological “revolutions” that transform information processing in Medicine in particular. This article examines the ways that workable medical information systems require significant involvement from the professional who will use them if they are to workable in practice. This involvement has been much easier to accomplish for clinical laboratory systems than for hospital-wide information systems that support medical records for routine use by doctors and nurses. The contrast between the development of an early laboratory system – LINC, and an early record keeping system – TDS-MIS, illustrates the differences in how different groups of system users are engaged or distanced in system developments. The field of Medical Informatics must develop a stronger appreciation for these issues to enable its practitioners to develop more usable and useful information systems to support routine medical work.