Medical Informatics has increasingly come into focus in the last couple of years, as the importance of managing and interpreting health data in dealing with a global pandemic has become dramatically apparent. This book presents the proceedings of the 2021 European Federation for Medical Informatics (EFMI) Special Topic Conference (STC), originally planned as a live event in Seville, Spain, but ultimately held as a virtual event from 22 – 24 November 2021. This conference focused on applying the FAIR principles (Findability, Accessibility, Interoperability and Reusability) to accelerate health research in Europe in the post COVID-19 era. The 38 papers included here are divided into 5 sections, and topics covered include: methods for the adoption of FAIR principles; FAIR-based precision medicine; AI in FAIR data-driven health; privacy and security aspects of applying FAIR in health research; FAIR and infectious-disease research data (including Covid-19); FAIR in infrastructures and software; metadata, ontologies and terminologies to support the sharing of health research data; and paradigms for sharing health research data. Offering a state-of-the-art overview of medical informatics in the post-Covid era, the book will be of interest to all those working in the field.

The healthcare system is experiencing unprecedented challenges and opportunities that will revolutionize the sector. The rising demand for health services and the resources restrictions have put increased pressure on healthcare organizations to improve cost-efficiency and service offerings. The pandemic has further exacerbated the main pressure points of the healthcare sector. Currently, the shift towards patient centricity is gaining momentum, therefore there is a need to rethink how health systems can embrace this concept, in particular with digitization, service innovation and value co-creation. Focusing on digital healthcare, this book proposes a theoretical framework, along with managerial implications, on moving towards a patient-centric model. It explores the role of digitization and innovation in solving existing challenges in the sector, and includes the concept of 'One Digital Health', which refers to global health and transformation and recognizes the importance of the connection between humans, animals, nature and the interrelation of different health systems. With clear implications to Sustainable Development Goal 3: ‘Ensure healthy lives and promote wellbeing for all at all ages,’ the authors argue that innovative transformation in the sector can support the Agenda 2030.

Data, informatics, and technology are now among the most important aspects inspiring health professionals and informaticians to improve healthcare for the benefit of patients. This book presents the proceedings of the 19th annual International Conference on Informatics, Management, and Technology in Healthcare (ICIMTH 2021), held as a virtual event due to COVID-19 pandemic restrictions on 16 and 17 October 2021 in Athens, Greece. The ICIMTH conferences are a series of scientific events which bring together scientists working in the field of biomedical and health informatics from around the world. The 2021 conference examined the field of biomedical and health informatics in a very broad framework, presenting the research and application outcomes of informatics from cell to populations, and including a number of technologies such as imaging, sensors and biomedical equipment, as well as management and organizational aspects, including legal and social issues and the setting of research priorities in health informatics. A significant number of the papers included here relate to the COVID-19 pandemic. Providing an insight into the latest developments in biomedical and health informatics, the book will be of interest to all those working in the field.

During his 31-year tenure as director of the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), Donald A.B. Lindberg M.D. dramatically increased access to knowledge about health issues, medicine, medical care, the health professions, and health literacy. As an enthusiastic visionary with a plan, his aim was to bring about a more efficient transfer and use of information and data. Dr. Lindberg and the NLM helped transform and reshape medicine and the health system in the 20th and 21st centuries. Dr. Lindberg envisioned, encouraged, and supported the development of electronic health records and telemedicine. Coupled with the evolution of the Internet, these technologies made health systems more efficient for research, the delivery of clinical services, the education of health professionals, bioethics, improving the public’s health literacy, and disease prevention strategies. Dr. Lindberg also was committed to enhancing the capacity of underserved and minority populations to make use of NLM’s health information resources. Transforming Biomedical Informatics and Health Information Access is a tribute to Don Lindberg and the NLM. The book is divided into four sections. The first documents the advances in biomedical informatics during Dr. Lindberg’s career, emphasizing the contributions made by teams of talented individuals at the NLM. The second section describes how the NLM’s creation of new methods of access to diverse biomedical databases improved information access for healthcare professionals, biomedical researchers, and the public. The third section explains how NLM’s outreach programs improved access to health information among underrepresented audiences and communities. The more informal fourth section provides brief memoirs about Dr. Lindberg’s life, character, and humanism.

The World Health Organization defines health as “a state of complete physical, mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity”, and its constitution also asserts that health for all people is “dependent on the fullest co-operation of individuals and States”. The ongoing pandemic has highlighted the power of both healthy and unhealthy information, so while healthcare and public health services have depended upon timely and accurate data and continually updated knowledge, social media has shown how unhealthy misinformation can be spread and amplified, reinforcing existing prejudices, conspiracy theories and political biases. This book presents the proceedings of MedInfo 2021, the 18th World Congress of Medical and Health Informatics, held as a virtual event from 2-4 October 2021, with pre-recorded presentations for all accepted submissions. The theme of the conference was One World, One Health – Global Partnership for Digital Innovation and submissions were requested under 5 themes: information and knowledge management; quality, safety and outcomes; health data science; human, organizational and social aspects; and global health informatics. The Programme Committee received 352 submissions from 41 countries across all IMIA regions, and 147 full papers, 60 student papers and 79 posters were accepted for presentation after review and are included in these proceedings. Providing an overview of current work in the field over a wide range of disciplines, the book will be of interest to all those whose work involves some aspect of medical or health informatics.

This publication aims to draw attention to the importance of timely data sharing in public health emergencies such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Through the EU-funded COVID-19 projects, a wide range of data types are being collected and there is a public health imperative to maximise the utility of these data through coordinated open or controlled access sharing, in keeping with ethical concerns. Findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable (FAIR) data can fast track the development and evaluation of novel diagnostics, vaccines, and treatments for COVID-19 and future pandemics. This publication fits under the series of Research & Innovation.

EPDF and EPUB available Open Access under CC-BY-NC-ND licence. Groups most severely affected by COVID-19 have tended to be those marginalised before the pandemic and are now being largely ignored in developing responses to it. This two-volume set of Rapid Responses explores the urgent need to put co-production and participatory approaches at the heart of responses to the pandemic and demonstrates how policymakers, health and social care practitioners, patients, service users, carers and public contributors can make this happen. The second volume focuses on methods and means of co-producing during a pandemic. It explores a variety of case studies from across the global North and South and addresses the practical considerations of co-producing knowledge both now - at a distance - and in the future when the pandemic is over.