Welcome to the first installment of CIN Plus for 2005. This issue has four articles that I hope you find interesting and pertinent for your practice. These articles represent a collaborative effort between Nursing Management, HIMSS, and CIN: Computers, Informatics, Nursing. The articles in this issue of CIN Plus were part of a larger collection published as "IT Solutions" in late 2004. The supplement was appreciated by the audience of nurse managers and executives who received it, and we wanted to ensure that it also made it into the hands of informaticists and CIN readers. Therefore, I am delighted to have the opportunity to bring this information to you.

I believe that 2005 will be an exciting year for nursing and informatics. There are a number of initiatives that are underway that will have enormous benefits for our practice and our specialty. In particular, I am very excited about the Alliance for Nursing Informatics (ANI). See the news release on page 1 for more information on the Alliance. The CIN publisher and I have been working closely with the ANI leadership so that the journal can be an integral vehicle for communication for all in the nursing informatics community. CIN is also pleased to continue its affiliation with the Nursing Symposium at the HIMSS Annual Conference and Exhibition. Furthermore, CIN is looking to partner with AMIA for the fall meeting in 2005, as we did at MedInfo in 2004. Looking ahead to 2006-the International Nursing Informatics Association (INIA) will be meeting in Korea and CIN hopes to have a presence there.

In the summer of 2004, Charles Safran, MD, President of AMIA, made the prediction that the country needs the knowledge and expertise of 6000 physicians and 6000 nurses with training in informatics. These people will be key to meeting the information and technology needs of the healthcare community. I believe that CIN can and will play a vital role in stimulating dialog and generating knowledge as this prediction becomes a reality. It is an exciting time for informatics, especially in nursing, and I am delighted to begin my second decade as Editor-in-Chief of CIN in this atmosphere of enthusiasm.

I always welcome your comments and feedback. Let me know what you think of CIN Plus, CIN, and the world of informatics in general. Please feel free to contact me, either by e-mail ([email protected]) or phone (+01-207-553-7750). I look forward to hearing from you. In the meantime, happy reading!!