The selection, development, implementation, and evaluation of the system and the project management aspects of those phases require considerable time and effort. The purpose of this paper is to describe the beta site implementation of a knowledge-based clinical information system in a specialty area of a southeastern hospital that followed a less than traditional approach to implementation. Highlighted are brief descriptions of the hospital's traditional process, the nontraditional process, and key findings from the experience.
Preliminary analysis suggests that selection of an implementation process is contextual.
Selection of elements from each of these methods may provide a more useful process. These elements are common to both processes and provide a focal point for future research. It is no longer enough to merely display the data in a large spreadsheet or on a complex, colorful time-sequence graph. The next generation of healthcare information systems must help the clinician to assimilate the myriad of data and to make fast and effective decisions. By automating or streamlining repetitive or complex tasks, correlating and presenting complex and potentially confusing data, and tracking patient outcomes, the computer can augment clinicians' skills to improve patient care.