Architecture and prototype implementation of a system for individualized workflows in medical information systems

Abstract

This paper is a report from a project that tried to design and implement a highly flexible workflow management system in the area of patient care delivery. Within eight weeks the authors developed a formal model for the specification of medical directives, designed and implemented a coordination system (based on the IBM prototype OBJCHART) with multi-user capabilities, and developed graphical user agents for the most important classes of users of the system (medical doctors, nurses and nurse technicians). This rapid development was possible not least due to the modular design of the system, which is made up of highly specialized, declarative and orthogonal components.