Integration-a multi-faceted challenge [hospital systems]

It is pointed out that many hospitals are faced with the challenge of integrating application systems that have been installed in recent years. However, it takes more than just a single solution to meet the requirements of an integrated system environment. Several levels of integration effort are required: network, workstation, system, application, and data. It is noted that, in most cases, the need to provide patient information from different systems in an integrated fashion is driving the integration effort. Some of the issues involved are examined, and the experiences at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center are presented. Specifically, Memorial is currently developing a workstation, Total Access Plus (TAP), for physicians and other professional staff. TAP workstations will have four primary capabilities: a customized application presenting data from various host applications in PM windows; access to all connected native applications with full functionality; update of multiple host databases with single data input; and query against a local database. With TAP implementation, a single workstation offers users access to all pertinent patient information in a user-friendly manner with minimum training burden