Information in the Health Care System

Abstract

Despite current criticism, there is a health care system. Furthermore, the system and its component parts have rapidly increasing information needs. An economic view of the phenomenon can be derived by looking at the pragmatics of library service in the system. Increasingly, research on information is generally being done in operational libraries rather than in library schools or research institutes. These libraries have become highly technological and their resulting activities have stimulated network development to effect lower information unit costs, to develop innovative financial support mechanisms and to enable the development of national levels of medical practice, insofar as information can help to achieve this goal. A specific application of these concepts is described.