Information management driven by diagnostic patient data: right information for the right patient

Existing and future diagnostic technologies are providing a huge amount of data about the patient, which are to be sensibly managed by the treating physician. More than that, the sheer complexity of the interrelation between these data are calling for a radically new approach in the handling of medical data and information. The physician--representing the pivot between the diagnostic knowledge about the patient's condition and the globally available medical information--is to be supported in his decision-making by automated systems that provide the appropriate information in a timeframe and with a degree of detail that is adjusted to the actual needs of the decision process. To find the right drug for the right patient the doctor needs the right information for the right patient. In this article, requirements for a future Medical Data Web are discussed and possible routes to solutions are indicated.