A library-based bioinformatics services program.

Support for molecular biology researchers has been limited to traditional library resources and services in most academic health sciences libraries. The University of Washington Health Sciences Libraries have been providing specialized services to this user community since 1995. The library recruited a Ph.D. biologist to assess the molecular biological information needs of researchers and design strategies to enhance library resources and services. A survey of laboratory research groups identified areas of greatest need and led to the development of a three-pronged program: consultation, education, and resource development. Outcomes of this program include bioinformatics consultation services, library-based and graduate level courses, networking of sequence analysis tools, and a biological research Web site. Bioinformatics clients are drawn from diverse departments and include clinical researchers in need of tools that are not readily available outside of basic sciences laboratories. Evaluation and usage statistics indicate that researchers, regardless of departmental affiliation or position, require support to access molecular biology and genetics resources. Centralizing such services in the library is a natural synergy of interests and enhances the provision of traditional library resources. Successful implementation of a library-based bioinformatics program requires both subject-specific and library and information technology expertise.

Integrating knowledge resources at the point of care: opportunities for librarians.

Health sciences librarians at the University of Washington (UW) are partners in the evolution of Internet-based clinical information systems for two medical centers, University of Washington Medical Center and Harborview Medical Center, as well as the UW Primary Care Network clinics. Librarians lead information resource and systems development projects and play a variety of roles including facilitator, publisher, integrator, and educator. These efforts have been coordinated with parallel development efforts by the Integrated Advanced Information Management Systems (IAIMS) clinical informatics group in developing electronic medical record systems and clinical decision support tools. The outcome is MINDscape, a very heavily used Web view of the patient medical record with tightly integrated knowledge resources as well as numerous Web-accessible information resources and tools. The goal of this article is to provide a case study of librarian involvement in institutional information systems development at UW and to illustrate the variety of roles that librarians can assume in hospital settings.

Meeting clinician information needs by integrating access to the medical record and knowledge resources via the Web.

MINDscape is a web based integrated interface to diverse sources of clinical information including both patient specific information (electronic medical record) as well as medical knowledge (the "digital library") to provide "just in time" information at the point of care. It was developed at the University of Washington to meet clinical information needs both as identified locally and by a review of the literature. Beta testing by over 600 clinicians is in progress and medical centers wide access scheduled for Fall 1997. We describe the information needs we sought to meet and the ongoing evaluation approach we are taking to ensure the information needs of a diverse group of clinicians are met. The iterative evolution of the interface from prototype, to alpha to large scale beta testing is reported. Integration of information occurs at three levels: integration of information by patient, integration of information by provider, and integration of patient specific information with medical reference material and decision support tools.

Willow: a uniform search interface.

The objective of the Willow Project is to develop a uniform search interface that allows a diverse community of users to retrieve information from heterogeneous network-based information resources. Willow separates the user interface from the database management or information retrieval system. It provides a graphic user interface to a variety of information resources residing on diverse hosts, and using different search engines and idiomatic query languages through networked-based client-server and Transmission Control Protocol/Internet Protocol (TCP/IP) protocols. It is based on a "database driver'' model, which allows new database hosts to be added without altering Willow itself. Willow employs a multimedia extension mechanism to launch external viewers to handle data in almost any form. Drivers are currently available for a local BRS/SEARCH system and the Z39.50 protocol. Students, faculty, clinicians, and researchers at the University of Washington are currently offered 30 local and remote databases via Willow. They conduct more than 250,000 sessions a month in libraries, medical centers and clinics, laboratories, and offices, and from home. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is implementing Willow as its uniform search interface to Z39.50 hosts.

Architecture for a Federated Drug Reference in a managed care environment.

We describe a model of drug information query management that supports the integration of various types of pharmaceutical information and the delivery of that information through a common interface. Our prototype drug reference system makes use of the World Wide Web client/server architecture as a front-end to federate this data. Although originally intended as an electronic Hospital Formulary, the system has been redefined as a result of input from physicians to include formularies of multiple managed care plans. The underlying database is designed for integration with an electronic medical record as well as education and research resources for faculty and students in an academic medical center environment.

Collaborative development of a uniform graphical interface.

A uniform graphical user interface to informational databases is evolving at the University of Washington through a collaborative development process. The interface, called WILLOW, has grown from model analysis and preliminary design to working prototype. The design replicates a natural flow of search retrieval. Development continues in a spiral of test and linear improvements based on user analysis. WILLOW's internal structure is built on a Unix client-server model communicating over the campus TCP/IP backbone network. Its external structure is an X-Windows/Motif visual presentation emphasizing a simple, consistent, graphical face to disparate information databases. The WILLOW collaborators have grown from an initial group composed of the Health Sciences Library & Information Center and Computing & Communications' Information Systems to the University Libraries, Computing & Communications divisions, Medical Center Information Systems, and departments throughout the health sciences.

Online searching by microcomputer.

Adding a telecommunications package to a microcomputer provides a new way to perform online bibliographic searching, called microsearching. Using the IBM PC microcomputer/Hayes Smartmodem 1200B combination for microsearching, an information service can produce custom-tailored bibliographies for individuals and topical bibliographies for group distribution.