Reviewer: Karen O'Grady, MLIS, MAEd (University of San Diego)
Description: This excellent book presents a thorough description of the topic of clinical research informatics. It is part of a series of books about health informatics. The book is divided into three parts: "Foundations of Clinical Research Informatics" (a background and history), "Data and Information Systems Central to Clinical Research" (current technologies and topics surrounding them), and "Knowledge Representation and Discovery: New Challenges and Emerging Models" (the future of clinical research informatics). The book has 22 chapters and an excellent index. There is no glossary (no need for one) and there are very few illustrations. Each chapter is an eloquently composed, expertly edited essay on a specific topic in this field.
Purpose: The very first sentence informs the readers about the health informatics series of which this book is a part: "This series is directed to healthcare professionals leading the transformation of healthcare by using information and knowledge." The entire first chapter of the book addresses the book's purpose, complete with an introduction and explanation of what the readers can expect. Clinical research informatics is introduced as a subdomain of healthcare informatics. The book's purpose is to teach, explain, define, and discuss the history, current capabilities, issues, legislation, progress, misconceptions, stakeholders, possibilities, and the bright and exciting future of this area of knowledge. The book unquestionably meets the objectives with impressively clear and eloquent writing.
Audience: The book explains, discusses, defines, and describes a variety of topics that would meet the needs of any reader from an undergraduate informatics student to a seasoned clinical researcher. Although an undergraduate or an English-as-a-second language reader might need to keep a dictionary on hand to handle the impressive vocabulary words, they are used to crystal clear effect. Complex topics are unraveled and explained so simply and expertly, a person who knows nothing about these topics would enjoy reading this book and would easily learn from it. A variety of contributing authors wrote different chapters of the book. Each author's credentials, institution, and contact information is on the first page of the chapters they wrote. Throughout the book, the authors refer to each other's work and expertise. It is not only the breadth of knowledge each author presents that leaves no doubt about their expertise, it also their explanations of nuances in their respective areas about things like public perception or technological shortcomings or advances. Each author (or perhaps the expert editors) demonstrate an impressive ability to explain complex topics and to make them relatable to any reader in a way that only true experts can.
Features: Each chapter uniformly contains a clear, crisp abstract, a list of key phrases, and an overview. The writing is succinct and quite thrilling. The authors break down healthcare information technological advances and capabilities; complicated digital healthcare industry issues; clinical research definitions, protocols, disconnects, and so much more into short sections that are easy to read and comprehend. The book thoroughly and expertly provides both broad and specific knowledge about clinical research (legislation, types of research, pharmacovigilance, clinical trials) and its intersection with healthcare technology (big data, data governance, developing ontologies for interoperability). The writing, the thoroughness, the obvious expertise, and the sharp editing are the best aspects of this book.
Assessment: This book could be read cover to cover as a well-written, well-organized series of interesting essays. It is packed with clear, helpful information and lessons about healthcare informatics; the healthcare industry; the history, present, and future of clinical research; and therefore, the future and betterment of human health. The writing is almost poetic in the way it says so much in so few words. The tone throughout the book is the same - calm, cautious, awed, and hopeful - "we have come so far, but we have so far to go." There are many books about healthcare informatics, nursing informatics, or clinical informatics. This is the only book I'm aware of specifically focused on clinical research informatics. This book is about conducting medical research and how informatics has changed the field of medical research profoundly. I cannot imagine that there would be a better book on this topic. This book is in its second edition, which is totally justifiable in this ever-changing, exploding field of knowledge.
