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Why e-health is so hard

Enrico Coiera
Med J Aust 2013; 198 (4): . || doi: 10.5694/mja13.10101
Published online: 4 March 2013

We need to respect the basic rules of informatics and invest in e-health expertise

Medicine holds dominion in the microcosm of molecules and genes. It is in the macrocosm of people and organisations where things seem to fall apart. Modern health care appears unsustainable in its current form,1 and information technology is increasingly seen as a major intervention that can drive “reform”.


  • Centre for Health Informatics, Australian Institute of Health Innovation, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW.


Correspondence: e.coiera@unsw.edu.au

Acknowledgements: 

This work is supported by the National Health and Medical Research Council Centre for Research Excellence in E-Health.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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