Implications of modified waterfall model to the roles and education of health IT professionals

Electronic Health Records (EHRs) are believed to have the potential to enhance efficiency and provide better health care. However, the benefits could be easily compromised if EHRs are not used appropriately. This paper applies a modified waterfall life cycle model to evaluate the roles of health IT professionals in the adoption and management of EHRs. We then present our development of a Masters´ program in Medical Informatics for the education of health IT professionals. We conclude that health IT professionals serve key roles in addressing the problems and concerns and help fulfill envision of EHRs.