Guest Editorial

As a recent arrival to the world of information management in the health sector, I have found the articles in this edition to be very helpful in building my understanding of this aspect of delivering good health outcomes to New Zealanders.

New Zealand is widely and rightly regarded as being a leading nation in health information management. Our national health information system and, in particular, the National Health Index, leave us able to support the information needs of both clinicians and administrators in ways that many other developed countries currently aspire to emulate. There are strong indications that this information management capacity is one of the fundamental enablers of the high level of cost-effectiveness of the New Zealand health system when compared to countries such as the UK, Australia, Canada and the US.

The fact that New Zealand is so well positioned is a testament to the vision and determination of many people over many years. They have managed to put in place the national information systems that the sector now depends upon in the face of significant budget constraints (especially compared to other jurisdictions), the difficulty of relating investments in information systems to delivery of health outcomes, and what must at times have felt like near-constant restructuring. The achievement does not stop there. Not only has the national health information system been developed in the face of these and other challenges. It has also been operated in a way that enables New Zealanders to have confidence and trust in the ways in which their personal health information is managed.

There is a widespread view that the national systems and data collections that have resulted from all these efforts should be regarded as national treasures or taonga that we must all collectively look after. I cannot help but think that this is an unhelpful image, insofar as it does not highlight the dynamic nature of the political, business and technology environment that they exist in. It also implies that we should value them for what they are today, rather than what they can and must be in the future. As the world changes, so will the requirements for our national health information system. I believe it is more helpful for us to think of this system as a national asset that requires constant management and investment if it is to deliver what New Zealanders need of it, both today and tomorrow. Doing so not only helps us to look forward, but also to honour the legacy of those who have given us what we have today.