"The idea for this text originated with the publication of the third edition of Nursing Informatics and the Foundation of Knowledge (2015). We realized that other health care professionals also needed to learn about informatics and the ways that informatics supports professional practice. We know that the idea of informatics is new to many health care professionals, and we believe that all health care professionals need to be better prepared for 21st-century practice by developing a strong foundation in informatics. Specifically, this text is designed to introduce dental hygienists, diagnostic medical sonographers, dietitians, medical technologists, occupational therapists, physical therapists, radiographers, respiratory therapists, and speech-language pathologists to health informatics. The purpose of this text is to provide a set of practical and powerful tools to ensure that the reader gains an understanding of health informatics and moves from data and information through knowledge to wisdom. Defining the demands of health professionals and providing tools to help them survive and succeed in the Knowledge Era remains a major challenge. Exposing allied health students to the principles and tools used in health informatics helps to prepare them to meet the challenge of practicing in the Knowledge Era while striving to improve patient care at all levels. The text provides a comprehensive framework that embraces knowledge so that readers can develop their knowledge repositories and the wisdom necessary to act on and apply that knowledge"--