Studying Clinical Information Resources

In Chapter 1 we introduced the challenge of conducting evaluations in medical informatics and discussed specific sources of complexity that give rise to these challenges. In Chapter 2 we introduced the range of approaches that can be used to conduct evaluations in medical informatics and across many areas of human endeavor. Chapter 2 also stressed that the evaluator can address many of these challenges by viewing each evaluation as anchored by specific purposes. Each study is conducted for some identifiable client group, often to inform specific decisions that must be made by members of that group. The work of the evaluator is made possible by focusing on the specific purposes the particular study is designed to address, often framing them as a set of questions and choosing the approach or approaches best suited to those purposes. A study is successful if it provides credible information to help members of an identified audience make decisions.