Our sincere thanks go also to all PARENT Joint Action workshops participants for their support and valuable insights. Finally, we would like to thank the European Commission and participating Member States who have made PARENT Joint Action possible.

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In this paper, we review the results of BIOINFOMED, a study funded by the European Commission (EC) with the purpose to analyse the different issues and challenges in the area where Medical Informatics and Bioinformatics meet. Traditionally, Medical Informatics has been focused on the intersection between computer science and clinical medicine, whereas Bioinformatics have been predominantly centered on the intersection between computer science and biological research. Although researchers from both areas have occasionally collaborated, their training, objectives and interests have been quite different. The results of the Human Genome and related projects have attracted the interest of many professionals, and introduced new challenges that will transform biomedical research and health care. A characteristic of the 'post genomic' era will be to correlate essential genotypic information with expressed phenotypic information. In this context, Biomedical Informatics (BMI) has emerged to describe the technology that brings both disciplines (BI and MI) together to support genomic medicine. In recognition of the dynamic nature of BMI, institutions such as the EC have launched several initiatives in support of a research agenda, including the BIOINFOMED study.

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ObjectivesTo demonstrate and promote the importance of applying a scientific process to health IT design and implementation, and of basing this on research principles and techniques.MethodsA review by international experts linked to the IMIA Working Group on Technology Assessment and Quality Development.ResultsFour approaches are presented, linking to the creation of national professional expectations, adherence to research-based standards, quality assurance approaches to ensure safety, and scientific measurement of impact.ConclusionsSolely marketing- and aspiration-based approaches to health informatics applications are no longer ethical or acceptable when scientifically grounded evidence-based approaches are available and in use.