Advances in the biomedical sciences, especially genomics, proteomics, and metabolomics, taken together with the expanding use of electronic health records, are radically changing the IT infrastructure and software applications needed to support the transfer of knowledge from bench to bedside. Pediatric Biomedical Informatics: Computer Applications in Pediatric Research describes the core resources in informatics necessary to support biomedical research programs and how these can best be integrated with hospital systems to receive clinical information that is necessary to conduct translational research.The focus is on the authors’ recent practical experiences in establishing an informatics infrastructure in a large research-intensive children’s hospital. This book is intended for translational researchers and informaticians in pediatrics, but can also serve as a guide to all institutions facing the challenges of developing and strengthening informatics support for biomedical research. The first section of the book discusses important technical challenges underlying computer-based pediatric research, while subsequent sections discuss informatics applications that support biobanking and a broad range of research programs. Pediatric Biomedical Informatics provides practical insights into the design, implementation, and utilization of informatics infrastructures to optimize care and research to benefit children. Dr. John Hutton is the Vice President and Director of Biomedical Informatics at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, Cincinnati, OH, USA. He is also Professor of Pediatrics and Associate Dean for Information Services at the University of Cincinnati College of Medicine.

Now is a critical time in pediatric informatics. As information technologies—electronic health records (EHRs), personal health records (PHRs), computerized physician order entry (CPOE)—and standards (HL7) are developed to improve the quality of health care, it is imperative for policy makers and pediatricians to be aware of their impact on pediatric care and child health. Informed child advocates must be at the planning table as national and regional health information networks are developed to insure the unique health care needs of children are being met. Pediatric Informatics: Computer Applications in Child Health is a current digest of the important trends in pediatric informatics, written by leading experts in the field. This book explores how the management of biomedical data, information, and knowledge can optimize and advance child health. The contributors investigate the specific importance of pediatric informatics is derived from the biological, psychological, social and cultural needs that the distinguish children from other populations. These distinctions create complexities in the management of pediatric data and information that make children a vulnerable population and require the development of a new body of knowledge in pediatric informatics.

The book describes the core resources in informatics necessary to support biomedical research programs and how these can best be integrated with hospital systems to receive clinical information that is necessary to conduct translational research. The focus is on the authors’ recent practical experiences in establishing an informatics infrastructure in a large research-intensive children’s hospital. This book is intended for translational researchers and informaticians in pediatrics, but can also serve as a guide to all institutions facing the challenges of developing and strengthening informatics support for biomedical research. The first section of the book discusses important technical challenges underlying computer-based pediatric research, while subsequent sections discuss informatics applications that support biobanking and a broad range of research programs. Pediatric Biomedical Informatics provides practical insights into the design, implementation, and utilization of informatics infrastructures to optimize care and research to benefit children.

The Guest Editor of this issue is a pediatric emergency medicine specialist and the Chief Medical Officer at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. He is very involved in the medical record and other electronic devices as safety measures. He brings his expertise and breadth of knowledge to the Pediatric Clinics of North America to assemble a stand out list of authors who have contributed articles on Pediatric Safety, Quality & Informatics. In this issue, articles are devoted to Big Data and the role of Predictive Analytics in Pediatrics; Research in Pediatric IT- the present and the future; Quality Care and Patient Safety in the pediatric emergency department; Safety & Quality metrics for Pediatric Hospital Medicine; Clinical Effectiveness Guidelines- Easy to Create but Hard to Implement; Advanced Technology in the pediatric ICUs; Measurement, Standards and Peer Benchmarking in Pediatric Safety & Quality: One hospital’s journey; Clinical Informatics and its role in the care of children; Pediatric Safety & Quality: A nursing perspective; Pediatric Telehealth: opportunities and challenges; and Fundamentals of Quality Improvement: How to do pediatric QI research.

Now is a critical time in pediatric informatics. As information technologies—electronic health records (EHRs), personal health records (PHRs), computerized physician order entry (CPOE)—and standards (HL7) are developed to improve the quality of health care, it is imperative for policy makers and pediatricians to be aware of their impact on pediatric care and child health. Informed child advocates must be at the planning table as national and regional health information networks are developed to insure the unique health care needs of children are being met. Pediatric Informatics: Computer Applications in Child Health is a current digest of the important trends in pediatric informatics, written by leading experts in the field. This book explores how the management of biomedical data, information, and knowledge can optimize and advance child health. The contributors investigate the specific importance of pediatric informatics is derived from the biological, psychological, social and cultural needs that the distinguish children from other populations. These distinctions create complexities in the management of pediatric data and information that make children a vulnerable population and require the development of a new body of knowledge in pediatric informatics.

What is a biomedical informatics expert? What does he or she do?Meet Kevin, a kid like you and me, who grew up to become a biomedical informatics expert! Kevin grew up loving science and caring for animals, and this passion, combined with his engineering aptitude, turned him into a pediatrician specializing in biomedical informatics -- using computers and data science to improve health care.The Who Me? series features inspirational biographies of scientists who young readers will be able to identify with as people like themselves. Written by the scientists themselves and co-authors from Vanderbilt University, the books are designed to help young readers understand that scientists are regular people like themselves who are excited about learning and discovering new things and who decided to work hard in school in order to create for themselves the opportunity to become scientists. As they learn the stories of these scientists, readers will also learn some basic science ideas, that are well-explained and easily understood, and be introduced to the cutting-edge science these scientists are working on today.

Increasing public investments in health care services for low-income and special needs children and adolescents in the United States have raised questions about whether these efforts improve their health outcomes. Yet it is difficult to assess the general health status and health care quality for younger populations, especially those at risk of poor health outcomes, because the United States has no national information system that can provide timely, comprehensive, and reliable indicators in these areas for children and adolescents. Without such a system in place, it is difficult to know whether and how selected health care initiatives and programs contribute to children's health status. Child and Adolescent Health and Health Care Quality identifies key advances in the development of pediatric health and health care quality measures, examines the capacity of existing federal data sets to support these measures, and considers related research activities focused on the development of new measures to address current gaps. This book posits the need for a comprehensive strategy to make better use of existing data, to integrate different data sources, and to develop new data sources and collection methods for unique populations. Child and Adolescent Health and Health Care Quality looks closely at three areas: the nature, scope, and quality of existing data sources; gaps in measurement areas; and methodological areas that deserve attention. Child and Adolescent Health and Health Care Quality makes recommendations for improving and strengthening the timeliness, quality, public transparency, and accessibility of information on child health and health care quality. This book will be a vital resource for health officials at the local, state, and national levels, as well as private and public health care organizations and researchers.