The Impacts of Knowledge Management and Information Technology Advances on Public Health Decision-Making in 2010

Population and public health programs in Canada in local/regional, provincial/ territorial and federal governments have been working together to adopt and to adapt modern information and communication technologies (ICTs) to improve program effectiveness. Effective public health is information intensive and the impact of emerging knowledge management and ICT solutions will be significant. To capture some of the current thinking on how knowledge management and ICT will benefit public health, a panel of Canadian public health professionals was convened to discuss opportunities for progress by 2010. Three broad areas were addressed: (1) information and knowledge management; (2) information technology; and (3) working together to improve public health with knowledge management and ICT opportunities.