Background: There is increasing recognition that a competent and well-trained workforce is required for successful implementation of health information technology.
Methods: New and previous research was gathered through literature and Web searching as well as domain experts. Overall themes were extracted and specific data collated within each.
Results: There is still a paucity of research concerning the health information technology workforce. What research has been done can be classified into five categories: quantities and staffing ratios, job roles, gaps and growth, leadership qualifications, and education and competencies. From several countries it can be seen that substantial numbers of individuals are needed with diverse backgrounds and competencies.
Conclusions: Additional research is necessary to determine the optimal organization and education of the health information technology workforce.
Keywords: Health information technology; biomedical and health informatics; clinical informatics; workforce.