This book is the second to appear in the IOS Press “Studies in Health Technology and Informatics” in order to describe a follow up of research projects and the development of standards for “e-Health in Belgium and in the Netherlands”.

F.H. Roger France, A. Hasman, E. De Clercq, G. De Moor, E-Health in Belgium and in the Netherlands, IOS Press, 2002, 93

It is first based on the Belgo-Dutch Medical Informatics Congress (Medische Informatica Congres), MIC 04. Its Proceedings are published in the first part of this book. MICs started in Rotterdam, the Netherlands, in 1978 and in Antwerp in 1979, in Belgium. For its 22nd edition, it is held in Brussels on 25-26 November 2004.

The collection of papers covers timely areas such as nursing and care process, the electronic patient record and knowledge bases, as well as ICT assessment. Applications are described by short abstracts.

The second part of the book is devoted to the description of the development of standards by the Belgian Commission “Norms for Telematics in the Health Care Sector”. It is a written support to the “Telematics@health.be 5th Symposium” held jointly with MIC04 in Brussels. A general introduction to the work of this Federal Commission in Belgium has been published in 2002.

F.H. Roger France and M. Bangels, Norms for Telematics in Health Care : Priorities in Belgium, (in E-Health in Belgium and in the Netherlands, IOS 2002, 93, 179-183)

These two Conferences share new trends in health informatics and present many timely ideas and practical proposals. They are directed to health care professionals who are leading the transformation of health care by using information and knowledge.

MIC04 is organised by the two national societies for Medical Informatics : MIM (Medische Informatica, Informatique Médicale) in Belgium and VMBI (Vereniging voor informatie verwerking in de zorg) in the Netherlands.

Telematics@health.be is an annual symposium managed by the Public Federal Service of Public Health.

We wish to thank all authors, as well as reviewers of the papers, and translators of recommendations. We express also our gratitude to Mrs Chris De Hollander and Mrs Dominique Pironet for the follow up and the technical editing, as well as of Mrs Dominique Dieng from INFOPOLE for her support.

F.H. Roger France, E. De Clercq, G. De Moor, J. van der Lei, Editors