Patient Data Management

Abstract

Looking through European hospitals we find quite different standards in clinical care. Above all the technical equipment for monitoring and therapy shows great variations. They are obvious between the countries (e.g. eastern and central Europe) but they also exist within one country. This applies much more strongly to the electronic equipment: Some hospitals have complex electronic Patient Data Management Systems (PDMS). in some others not even one personal computer (PC) is available. Both are extremes but characterize the diversity of the scene. The typical situation intermediates between the two extremes:

• Without much coordination, individual computer installations were developed in those departments where either the quantity of data is great (e.g. ICU, Radiology), or the working processes are easy to standardize (e.g. Administration, Laboratory). In Anaesthesiology and Intensive Care most of the solutions developed from research projects or pilot mstallations, maintained with extensive manpower and adapted to the special requirements of a department. The individuality expressed prevents application to other hospitals.