Innovation in Health Informatics
Hironobu Matsushita
Abstract In this chapter, the lens of translational systems science is applied to
consider and analyze the ongoing progress of innovation in health informatics. First,
this chapter proposes the propositions of translational systems science to help
readers understand innovational aspects of health informatics through a perspective
of systems thinking. Next, the features of nested translation innovation in ecosystems of health informatics are explained. Based on these, this chapter describes
several cases, including imaging and deep learning, and cognitive technologies and
extended intelligence. These descriptive analyses reveal that new health innovation
comes from the combination and convergence of completely new information. In
conclusion, we show that the new era of health informatics is completely different
from that of the past and the present.
Keywords Translationality · Innovation · Value-in-context · Contextualization ·
Converging technologies
1 Introduction
The term “health informatics” first came into use around 1973 (Protti, 1995). Since
then, informatics has grown considerably as a clinical discipline in recent years
fueled, in part no doubt, by the advances in computer technology (Coiera, 2015).
Given that computer technology has enhanced human cognitive competencies in
facilitating communication, structuring information, raising questions, and making
decisions, informatics inevitably has come to include those functionalities to expand
human competencies.
Today, health and medical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and information and communication technology (ICT), including deep learning and Internet
H. Matsushita (*)
Graduate School of Informatics, Tokyo University of Information Sciences, Chiba, Japan
e-mail: hm206128@rsch.tuis.ac.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
H. Matsushita (ed.), Health Informatics, Translational Systems Sciences 24,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3781-3_1
1
Hironobu Matsushita
Abstract In this chapter, the lens of translational systems science is applied to
consider and analyze the ongoing progress of innovation in health informatics. First,
this chapter proposes the propositions of translational systems science to help
readers understand innovational aspects of health informatics through a perspective
of systems thinking. Next, the features of nested translation innovation in ecosystems of health informatics are explained. Based on these, this chapter describes
several cases, including imaging and deep learning, and cognitive technologies and
extended intelligence. These descriptive analyses reveal that new health innovation
comes from the combination and convergence of completely new information. In
conclusion, we show that the new era of health informatics is completely different
from that of the past and the present.
Keywords Translationality · Innovation · Value-in-context · Contextualization ·
Converging technologies
1 Introduction
The term “health informatics” first came into use around 1973 (Protti, 1995). Since
then, informatics has grown considerably as a clinical discipline in recent years
fueled, in part no doubt, by the advances in computer technology (Coiera, 2015).
Given that computer technology has enhanced human cognitive competencies in
facilitating communication, structuring information, raising questions, and making
decisions, informatics inevitably has come to include those functionalities to expand
human competencies.
Today, health and medical applications of artificial intelligence (AI) and information and communication technology (ICT), including deep learning and Internet
H. Matsushita (*)
Graduate School of Informatics, Tokyo University of Information Sciences, Chiba, Japan
e-mail: hm206128@rsch.tuis.ac.jp
© Springer Nature Singapore Pte Ltd. 2021
H. Matsushita (ed.), Health Informatics, Translational Systems Sciences 24,
https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-3781-3_1
1