Ten essential clinical informatics skills

• Understand the dynamic and uncertain nature of medical knowledge, and be able to keep personal knowledge and skills up-to-date

• Know how to search for and assess knowledge according to the statistical basis of scientific evidence

• Understand some of the logical and statistical models of the diagnostic process

• Interpret uncertain clinical data and deal with artefact and error

• Structure and analyse clinical decisions in terms of risks and benefits

• Apply and adapt clinical knowledge to the individual circumstances of patients

• Access, assess, select and apply a treatment guideline, adapt it to local circumstances, and communicate and record variations in treatment plan and outcome

• Structure and record clinical data in a form appropriate for the immediate clinical task, for communication with colleagues, or for epidemiological purposes

• Select and operate the most appropriate communication method for a given task (eg, face-to-face conversation, telephone, e-mail, video, voice-mail, letter)

• Structure and communicate messages in a manner most suited to the recipient, task and chosen communication medium.