Health informatics is defined as "the knowledge, skills and tools which enable information to be collected, managed, used and shared to support the delivery of healthcare and promote health." (UKCHIP)

Health informatics is carried out by the following groups of staff:

Information & communication technology (ICT) staff

Run the internal and external electronic communications systems. This includes the hardware (desktop PCs) and the software (ward ordering systems, email, pathology report service and patient bookings).

Staff roles include network management, technology and help desk support, application and systems development, project management and implementation, system security and staff training.

Knowledge management staff

Support health professionals and management staff in their education, training and development and professional practice. Access to knowledge may be through books, periodicals and electronic information databases. Many staff in this area will assist NHS employees to access the information.

Staff roles include administrative assistant, knowledge managers, information specialists and librarians.

Information management staff

Use statistics and other information in order to plan, monitor and develop the health service. They might work in one of many different fields, including data analysis or data protection and confidentiality. Clinical coding - analysing and coding information on patients' records - is a specialist area within information management.

Staff roles include research, clinical audit, data protection and confidentiality, planning and performance management.

Clinical informatics staff

Are usually doctors, nurses or other qualified healthcare professionals who have moved into a part-time or full-time role in health informatics. Clinical Informatics concerns the capture, communication and use of patient data and clinical knowledge professionals providing healthcare and the development and implementation of electronic tools to support the whole cycle of clinical information. The usual route is via clinical practice into an area such as research or audit.

Staff roles include clinical professionals.

Each staff group shares a core of knowledge and skills and, in addition, has a recognized specialist area of practice.

A 'health informatics service' may exist where all of these staff groups are brought together to support a particular health community.

Source: NHS Careers