Health information technologies (IT) are revolutionizing and streamlining healthcare, and their uptake is rising dramatically. The variety and range of systems and applications is considerable and there is increasing demand for the implementation of health IT solutions in hospitals, clinics, homes and in the virtual space of mHealth, pervasive healthcare and social media. However, to effectively implement these technologies, there must be strong scientific, research, industrial and governmental supports in place in order to transform healthcare and build capacity at the regional, national and international levels.

This year, the conference will take on a multi-perspective view about what capacity is needed in order to move health IT along to achieve real, sustained and widespread use. The solutions can range from improvements in usability and training, to need for new and improved design of information systems, user interfaces and interoperable solutions, to governmental policy, mandates, initiatives and need for regulation. There is also a need for greater interaction and collaboration among industrial, governmental and academic partners. The papers in this proceedings reflect the innovative ways with which the healthcare community have come together to build health informatics capacity for the future. In particular, the papers have been carefully selected to ensure there is a balance of scientific rigor, practice relevance, and tangible impacts in terms of productivity, access, empowerment and outcomes.

It is our hope that the knowledgeinsights gained from the ITCH 2017 conference can stimulate fruitful discussions and collaborations among the participants to build the next generation of health informatics capacity that is in great demand to bring about positive change in healthcare in Canada and other countries.

Francis Lau

School of Health Information Science

University of Victoria

Victoria, British Columbia

Canada