Reshaping Health Informatics: Enhancing Digital Tools and Human Services through Design

The fusion of design and informatics in biomedical and health informatics is redefining how healthcare systems are developed and implemented. This interdisciplinary field merges design principles with advanced information technology to create innovative solutions that improve patient care, streamline healthcare delivery, and enhance public health initiatives. Recent studies have highlighted the essential role of effective design in domains such as clinical systems, mobile health tools, and public health services. Yet, despite advancements, there remain gaps in fully understanding and optimizing the integration of design thinking within informatics to address diverse healthcare needs effectively.

This Research Topic aims to explore the potential of merging design and informatics by providing a platform for the exchange of speculative ideas, novel paradigms, and early-stage innovations. We seek to gather insights from diverse professionals, including informatics experts, clinical practitioners, computer scientists, anthropologists, and design specialists. By doing so, the Research Topic seeks to address critical questions regarding how design can enhance health informatics, the potential cognitive impacts of visualization, and the cost-benefits of design processes.

The scope of our Research Topic includes both limitations and expansive themes. While focusing on design's role in informatics, we recognize the boundaries of existing technologies and design methodologies. To gather further insights in these areas, we welcome articles addressing, but not limited to, the following themes:

- Visionary approaches to data visualization for clinical tools.
Service design to augment public health IT resources during pandemics
- Experimental investigations into the cognitive impact of visualization in specific contexts
- Optimal design processes involving collaboration with design schools
- End-user design and programming strategies in healthcare.
Design considerations for emergency services and pandemic response
- Incorporating artificial intelligence recommendations effectively in healthcare with thoughtful design
- Visual design for diverse patient populations, including those with unique needs or backgrounds
- Financial implications and cost benefits of upstream design processes
- Design strategies for reducing clinical errors.

By fostering peer discussion and constructive feedback, we aim to propel the integration of design sciences and arts within the biomedical informatics domain. This Research Topic seeks to accelerate the resolution of major challenges in digital health, facilitate collaboration, and promote international and multidisciplinary partnerships.al and health informatics. This emerging field encompasses the creation of innovative information technology systems and emphasizes the importance of effective design in various domains, including clinical systems, mobile health tools, care services, and public health actions.

Our objective is to provide a platform for publishing and discussing speculative ideas, novel paradigms, and early-stage design and innovation. We encourage contributions from multidisciplinary professionals, including informatics experts, clinical practitioners, computer scientists, anthropologists, and design specialists.

Suitable themes for manuscripts include (but are not limited to):

• Visionary approaches to data visualization for clinical tools
• Service design to augment public health IT resources during pandemics
• Experimental investigations into the cognitive impact of visualization in specific contexts
• Optimal design processes involving collaboration with design schools
• End-user design and programming strategies in healthcare
• Design considerations for emergency services and pandemic response
• Incorporating AI recommendations effectively in healthcare with thoughtful design
• Visual design for diverse patient populations, including those with unique needs or backgrounds
• Financial implications and cost benefits of upstream design processes
• Design strategies for reducing clinical errors.

Article types and fees

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• ... View all formats

Articles that are accepted for publication by our external editors following rigorous peer review incur a publishing fee charged to Authors, institutions, or funders.

Article types

This Research Topic accepts the following article types, unless otherwise specified in the Research Topic description:

• Brief Research Report
• Clinical Trial
• Data Report
• Editorial
• FAIR² Data
• General Commentary
• Hypothesis and Theory
• Methods
• Mini Review
• Opinion
• Original Research
• Perspective
• Policy and Practice Reviews
• Policy Brief
• Review
• Study Protocol
• Systematic Review
• Technology and Code

Keywords: design, informatics, human factors, human-computer interaction, sociotechnical

Important note: All contributions to this Research Topic must be within the scope of the section and journal to which they are submitted, as defined in their mission statements. Frontiers reserves the right to guide an out-of-scope manuscript to a more suitable section or journal at any stage of peer review.