As healthcare organisations and governments look to information technology to capitalise and enhance healthcare, the need for effective investment to update existing technology and provide cost-effective infrastructure for the future becomes clear. The issues of defining success and understanding opportunities are crucial to planning optimum investment and the best use of scarce resources. This book presents papers from the Australian Health Informatics Conference (HIC 2014), held in Melbourne, Australia, in August 2014. With the theme of investing in e-health: people, knowledge and technology for a healthy future, the papers delivered at the conference and included here address the issues of building a future-focused, scalable and adaptable infrastructure and of training the healthcare workforce necessary to support it. Subjects covered include: user participation in ICT development for older adults; interactive patient websites; application areas of multi-user virtual environments in the healthcare context; as well as governance, training and assessing the quality of data in public health information systems. The book will be of interest to all those policy makers and practitioners involved in the planning and implementation of information technology projects as part of the healthcare system.

Most of the world's population now lives in cities. So if we are to address the problems of environmental deterioration and peak oil adequately, the city has to be a major focus of attention. EcoCities is about re-building cities and towns based on ecological principles for the long term sustainability, cultural vitality and health of the Earth's biosphere. Unique in the literature is the book's insight that the form of the city really matters-and that it is within our ability to change it, and crucial that we do. Further, that the ecocity within its bioregion is comprehensible and do-able, and can produce a healthy and potentially happy future. EcoCities describes the place of the city in evolution, nature and history. It pays special attention to the key question of accessibility and transportation, and outlines design principles for the ecocity. The reader is encouraged to plunge in to its economics and politics: the kinds of businesses, planning and leadership required. The book then outlines the tools by which a gradual transition to the ecocity could be accomplished. Throughout, this new edition is generously illustrated with the author's own inspired visions of what such rebuilt cities might actually look like.

Overwhelmed by constantly being told what you should or shouldn't eat, drink, or do in order to be healthy? In A Treasure Map to Health and Healing, Linda Ybarra, certified Holistic Health Practitioner, N.D., Ph.D., makes health simple! By tweaking small parts of your daily routine, you can make major improvements to your health and wellness! Simple changes, such as using holistic doctors, staying away from processed foods, and reading labels can keep your body working effectively and efficiently for a very long time. Did you know that certain everyday products, like deodorant, lotions, and even toothpaste contain harmful, even deadly ingredients? Harmful chemicals are actually used to prolong and preserve shelf life, even though they are toxic and cancer-causing. Ingredients like Methylparaben, Propylparaben, and Ethylparaben can be dangerous, but you can learn how to easily avoid them. This book will teach you to read product labels and eliminate these hazardous ingredients from entering your body. You'll also learn how to eat the right foods for optimal wellness and even how to save money while helping the environment! In A Treasure Map to Health and Healing, you will learn simple steps to take in order to protect your and your family's health!