Institute of Medical Information & Library

The Institute of Medical Information (IMI) & Library, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College (CAMS & PUMC), designated as the National Center of Medical Information Research and Biomedical Information Resources, the Medical Sub Center of National Science and Technology Library (NSTL) ，the Center for Health Policy and Management of CAMS & PUMC, the Engineering Technology Center for National Scientific Data Sharing Platform for Population and Health，the International MEDLARS Center in China, the WHO Collaborating Center for Health and Biomedical Information, the Chair of China Board for WHO Global Health Library, and the Office of Medical Information Management affiliated to Medical Information Administrative Committee of Ministry of Health, plays an important role in national medical library, research on medical information and health policy, serves as a supporting organization for the national health system reform and medical scientific innovation. 

IMI was established in 1974 by integrating the former Medical Information Department of CAMS founded in 1958 and the Library of CAMS & PUMC. For decades, around the strategic tasks of national health system reform and medical scientific innovation, IMI has developed amounts of research and consulting services in the fields of medical informatics, medical intelligence research and information analysis, health policy and management, health informatization, etc. IMI also took part in the research and constitution of National and MOH programs for medical science and technology development since ‘The 7th 5-Year Plan’, national long-term plans, ‘Health China 2020’, etc. In addition, IMI & Library has developed the unique Chinese Biomedical Literature Database on Disc (CBM disc), Chinese Biomedical Literature Service System (SinoMed), ‘One-stop’ Medical Information Service Platform, Public Health Knowledge Service Platform, etc. IMI is also in responsibility of several academic journals, namely Journal of Medical Informatics, Chinese Journal of Health Policy, Journal of Medical Research, China Medical Herald, China Modern Doctor, etc.

The Library, as a famous medical library with abundant collection and long history in China, was set up in 1917 and appointed as the First National Medical Library by the State Council in 1957. In early 1990s, the Library held a title of National Center Library of Medical Literature Resources Sharing Network of Ministry of Health. Meanwhile the Library was invited to be the WHO Depository Library in China. In 2000, the Library was designated as the Medical Sub Center of NSTL, which also functioned as a national library of medicine in China. The Library has total collection of more than 2750 000 volumes, 6 900 foreign journals, 1 400 Chinese bio-medical journals, 84 online databases and disc databases and 10 000 volumes of postgraduate thesis. In addition, the Library consists of over 1 000 volumes of Chinese traditional medicine, 1 000 monographs on foreign medical history and 20 000 volumes of WHO publication. In addition to the routine literature services, the Library provides timely individulized information services for decision making consultation, basing on the development of information technology, betterment of service capability and expansion of service scope.

The Center for Health Policy and Management, as an independent research institution affiliated to IMI, has further developed research on the prospective, strategic issues, the frontier theory and method of health policy and management, while adhering to high standard. To provide information consultation and decision-making supports for government, enterprises and institutions, the Center has established health policy analysis and decision-making support system, also developed research including health policy analysis ＆ evaluation, health system, global health, medical information management, decision support system, primary health care, maternal ＆ child health care, health economics, etc. In recent years, the Center has further developed research on the formulation and implementation evaluation of a new round of health system reform policies, fully participated in making national health service system planning and ‘health China 2020’ strategic planning, founded Chinese Journal of Health Policy, and established a series of decision-making support system including National New Rural Cooperative Medical Information Platform, National Evaluation System of Population Health Policies and Regulations, Medical and Health Science and Technology Decision Support Platform, etc. The Center has become a significant strength in the field of health policy research and an important assistant of relevant state administrative agencies.