Multicenter clinical trials will benefit when all data is collected at a single location. Direct data input by clinicians eliminates the need to transfer data from paper records to the computer, thus reducing a large error source. Patients themselves can enter and review many data items regarding their medical, surgical, social, and family histories. Educational information can be included for patients. Detailed medical reports and letters can be automatically generated for patients and referring physicians.
Web technologies have the potential to reshape the health care landscape.
While many see these new technologies as just another evolutionary step, their real impact may lie in revolutionary changes in the way health care is delivered and studied. This paper, while presenting very preliminary ideas, describes one such change. Applying World Wide Web technology to the study of patients with rare diseases. Dean F. Sittig Informatics-Review Vol.