The papers in this issue of HIMJ all have something important to say about the changing work environment of Health Information Managers (HIMs). The first three papers examine the HIS work environment from the point of view of managing HIM careers, the quality of the work HIMs perform, and how technology impacts upon the way they do their work. Sandra Leggat's paper focuses on performance management for HIMs with a view to improving outcomes for both staff and organisations through the implementation of transformational leadership. Jude Michel, Hong Son Nghiem and Terri Jackson discuss the contribution HIMs can make towards minimising hospital-acquired complications; and Aziz Jamal, Kirsten McKenzie and Michele Clark have reviewed the published literature on the impact of health information technology on the quality of medical care. The research articles are followed by Helen Cooper's reflective and insightful commentary on the changing roles of HIMs from an educational perspective, where she suggests that rather than viewing changes in the HIS work environment as radical change--out with the old and in with the new--it can be better understood as a continuous process of small, and sometimes not so small, incremental changes, where the basic core elements of the HIM profession are constantly expanding and adapting to changes occurring both within and outside of the profession.
This Issue also contains practical case study examples that demonstrate how such change occurs: Ronit Peled and Jerry Schenirer outline the development of a strategic planning process to enable a regional project to succeed, while Julia Wilkins demonstrates the role that health information management has played in the Royal Flying Doctor Service and how her HIM role has been successfully expanded to meet the organisational goals of the RFDS. Expanding the role of HIMs, particularly in the area of technology, is further highlighted by two professional practice papers. Sari McKinnon shows how the expansion of the role of health informatics in her personal journey as a HIM has enabled her to take her career forward in Singapore, while Michele Bramley and her colleagues from NEHTA highlight the important role of the terminology analyst in integrating new technologies into the HIS work environment. All of these papers highlight different aspects of the changing HIS work environment and I would like to thank Michael Strachan, the guest editor for this Issue, for soliciting papers that represent such a broad range of career perspectives on this important topic.
Finally, the Issue concludes with the professional profiles of two very experienced HIMs, whose amazing careers have spanned many years, and which eloquently demonstrate the changing nature of health information management across time. Marianne Carter has recently retired, but her extraordinary career as a HIM spanned almost 40 years and bears testament to the changing nature of the HIS work environment and to the vitally important interactive role that HIMs play in driving change themselves. Carmel Cheney launched her career working on the Agent Orange Study 28 years ago and now works as a HIM consultant, with many career steps in between. It seems fitting to conclude this Issue, with its focus on the changing HIS work environment, with profiles of HIMs whose careers are a testament to the theme. In this respect, I would like to include Cassandra Jordan (the Journal's state liaison officer [SLO] for NSW) in the discussion1 Cassandra's career as a HIM, both in Australia and overseas, also covers the full gamete of change that has impacted on the profession since the mid-seventies from manual records and manual typewriters through to modern-day technology and methods. Cassandra is HIM for two Sydney-based hospitals as well as convener of the HIMAA (NSW Branch) Private Hospital Special Interest Group. As the Journal's SLO (NSW), Cassandra has inspired many HIMs to write up case studies of interesting projects or professional profiles for publication in the Journal. In tracking the careers of HIMs such as Marianne Carter, Carmel Cheney and Cassandra Jordan across time we see not only the great variety that a HIM career can offer but also how the professional careers of individual HIMs constantly evolve and expand as part of a never-ending process of change. The essential core elements of health information management are always there but the way in which they manifest changes. These profiles are examples of how the HIMs who embody and enable our profession keep it alive and relevant across time and workplace.
References
Bramley, M. (2009). NEHTA terminology analysts. Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 59-63.
Carter, M. (2009). Marianne Carter: A varied HIM career in retrospect. (Professional profile). Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 64-68.
Cheney, C. (2009). Carmel Cheney: Health information management consultant. (Professional profile). Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 69-71.
Cooper, H. (2009). Changing roles of Health Information Managers: an education perspective. Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 38-42.
Jamal, A., McKenzie, K. and Clark, M. (2009). The impact of health information technology on the quality of medical and health care: a systematic review. Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 26-37.
Jordan, C. (2009). Cassandra Jordan: NSW State Liaison Officer, HIMJ. Health Information Management Journal 38(2): 67-69.
Leggat, S. (2009). A guide to performance management for the Health Information Manager. Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 11-17.
McKinnon, S. (2009). Enterprise architecture in the Information Services Division, Ministry of Health Holdings, Singapore. Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 56-58.
Michel, J., Nghiem, H.S. and Jackson, T. (2009). Using ICD-10-AM codes to characterise hospital-acquired complications. Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 18-25.
Peled, R. and Schenirer, J. (2009). Healthcare strategic planning as part of national and regional development in the Israeli Galilee: a case study of the planning process. Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 43-50.
Strachan, M. (2009). Managing change proactively within the current HIM professional domain. (Guest Editorial). Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 7-10.
Wilkins, J. (2009). The Royal Flying Doctor Service flies to new heights: the journey of health information management. Health Information Management Journal 38(3): 51-55.
Barbara Postle
Editor
Health Information Management Journal
email: himj@himaa.org.au
Health Information Management
School of Public Health
Curtin University
GPO Box U1987
Perth WA 6845
AUSTRALIA
Tel: + 61 8 9266-7363
Fax: + 61 8 9266-2958
email: B.Postle@curtin.edu.au
Health Information Manager
South Perth Hospital
76 South Terrace
South Perth WA 6151
AUSTRALIA
Tel: +61 8 9367-0251
Fax: +61 8 9474-2541
email: Barbara@sph.org.au
(1) Cassandra Jordan's profile appeared in the June 2009 Issue. The HIMJ Editorial Board hopes to publish profiles of all current SLOs in forthcoming issues of the Journal.
