Hospitals without boundaries: HIS and primary healthcare in developing countries

For many years, hospitals were considered as closed systems. Patients come into the hospital, medical care is provided to them and, at last, they leave the hospital in different ways. Hospital information systems were developed following this hospital model as well and today we have many fine 'closed-system-style' HIS, working well in good hospitals. But hospitals are evolving toward a different model, as they are acquiring a higher degree of compromise and participation in healthcare systems. This paper will attempt to show the distinctions between the two hospital models which we call 'The traditional hospital model' and 'The integrated hospital model', and some guidelines for more cooperative and shared work in the near future.