This course provides an introduction to the area of health informatics with a broad overview of the field. It covers the basic theoretical concepts needed to understand informatics principles starting with the notion of what one means by information, what constitutes a model, what defines a system. The building blocks allow students to understand information and communication systems from first principles as well as to understand the different roles that communication and information systems play in health care. The course introduces various forms of computer-based health information systems and covers issues such as data privacy, security and confidentiality.