Informatics, the study of the science of information and related disciplines, is being increasingly applied to medicine and healthcare. Medical schools are de veloping departments, divisions, and sections of medical (or biomedical) infor matics, and curricula are being created for medical students and residents. For many practicing physicians, questions such as "What is informatics?" and "Why is informatics important in medicine?" are becoming commonplace. Further, once these basics are understood, many physicians seek more complete information about this new "basic science. " The goal of...