Integrated computerized patient records: the DIOGENE 2 distributed architecture paradigm with special emphasis on its middleware design

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Computer Science
• Medical Information Systems

Background:

• DIOGENE 2 is a full-scale distributed/open hospital information system.
• The system migrated from a former mainframe in June 1995.
• This migration necessitated a middleware solution for application interoperability.

Discussion:

• The architecture facilitates the design of open/distributed Electronic Patient Records (EPRs).
• A working prototype of distributed EPRs is discussed, detailing current achievements.
• The system is in its first production stage at the University Hospitals of Geneva.

Key Insights:

• Successful migration from mainframe to a distributed architecture.
• Enabling of open and distributed Electronic Patient Records (EPRs) through middleware.
• Demonstrated feasibility of a networked hospital information system.

Outlook:

• Expansion to other public hospitals in the Geneva area.
• Integration with general practitioners (GPs) in the Geneva region.
• Continued development and deployment of distributed EPRs.