Ghosts in the machine: identifying the digital health information workforce

In descriptions of digital health the role of human agency and the work of managing and governing health information and communication technology is often invisible. This paper reports preliminary results of a scoping review of the literature and a national workforce census, undertaken as part of a research program to shed light on the responsibilities and the contributions of the health information workforce. The global literature is not a good indicator of the actual proportion of health informaticians, health information managers, health librarians or other health professionals who are engaged in health information work in Australia. While the research interest in health information work of all descriptions is increasing, the practice of health information work is neither highly skilled nor easily identifiable in findings of an Australian census. Reforming this workforce may be a key to translating digital health rhetoric into measurable improvements in health system performance.