Overview of an Architectural Approach to the Development of the A.Z. - V.U.B. Distributed Clinical Information System

Abstract

The greatest challenge facing hospitals today is finding an harmony between the quality of patient care and the need for reduction of healthcare costs. As for the next decade we can be certain of two issues:hospital’s reliance on computerized information will increase and like medical technology the ongoing change of hospital information systems. The current healthcare system is in a state of transition. This transition is primarily concerned with the transition from analog to digital information from a paper patient medical record to an electronic patient medical record. The digitalization of diverse pictorial information in medicine (ECG,EEG, pathology,…) needs special attention. The purpose of this paper is to describe an approach to the development and implementation of the 2nd generation of a H.I.S. based on an architectural plan in the university hospital of the VUB.