National EFMI Member Society: Croatian Society for Medical Informatics
Hrvatsko drustvo za medicinsku informatiku
Membership: 98

President: Ilakovac, Prof. Dr. Vesna, PhD
Assistant Professor
Josip Juraj Strossmayer University of Osijek
School of Medicine Osijek
Osijek, Croatia

Short overview: The Croatian Society for Medical Informatics is a non-profit organization concerned with the scientific field of medical informatics, which comprises the theory and practice of information science and technology within health care and health care science. The basic objectivities of the CSMI are as follows:

• to advance dissemination of information in the field of MI in Croatia,
• to promote high standards in the application of work in this field,
• to promote research and development in this field,
• to encourage high standards in education in this field,
• to advance international cooperation in this field.

Since 1993 the CSMI has organized professional and scientific meetings with international contributions (Bosnia and Herzegovina, Czech Republic, Slovenia, and Spain). The symposiums named "Medical Informatics" have been held biannually, starting with year 1993. In 1997 and 1999 the symposiums were organized as video conferences in cooperation with Croatian Academic and Research Network (CARNet). In1997 the video conference was organized between Zagreb and Split. In 1999 video conference included two more Croatian cities, Osijek and Rijeka. All papers presented at the conferences we use to publish in Proceedings (ISSN 1330-1799).

In year 2007, from 30 May to 1 June, the CSMI will organize the EFMI Special Topic Conference in Croatia at the Adriatic island of Brijuni. Motto of the conference "Medical Informatics in Enlarged Europe" associates to globalisation process, crossing borders, connecting people and causing profound and complex changes in the societies. These changes affect people, their activities and their health. Intensive movement of people implies their sinking into different environments, different countries and different healthcare systems. To ensure effective health care for all the citizens, the cooperation of variety of health systems is needed. "Bad medical informatics can kill the patient", but good medical informatics can make him/her be safe.

In year 2000 the CSMI initiated the establishment of a Technical Committee for standardization in medical informatics. It has followed the work of CEN TC251 and ISO TC215 and assisted in the health care information system development in the Republic of Croatia. The CSMI in cooperation with CROMBES (Croatian Medical & Biological Engineering Society) assisted in establishment of HL7 Croatia.

IMIA Recommendation on Health and Medical Informatics Education and IMIA Code of Ethics were translated into Croatian language and published on CSMIs web site.

The Society publishes a bulletin with papers of the CSMI members, and relevant information two times a year.