The future of clinical information systems: one hospital's perspective

Developing advanced clinical information systems is a complex and arduous task. The pressures on the health care delivery system make the task imperative. Because of such a system's complexity, its potential to alter radically the practice of medical care, and the magnitude of the required investment, health care delivery organizations would be well served by a thoughtful determination of the perspectives, philosophies, and strategies that will govern the approach to this task. This article has presented a description of the results of the deliberations of the leadership of one organization, the Brigham and Women's Hospital. The ideas and activities described should prove useful to other organizations engaged in their own deliberations.