[Computer support of workflow in the hospital: concepts, technology and application]. / Computerbasierte Unterstützung von Arbeitsabläufen im Krankenhaus--Konzepte, Technologien und deren Anwendung.

For a variety of reasons, hospitals are developing a growing interest in changing their information systems to support patient processes in a more direct way. This means to actively deliver the tasks to be performed to the right persons at the right point in time with the necessary information and the application functions needed for performing these tasks. Process-oriented workflow technology is a very interesting candidate to achieve this goal. It offers components for the computer-based analysis, modeling, animation, coordination and monitoring of (hospital) processes. In this paper we discuss the perspectives offered by workflow-based, clinical information systems. We survey key features of today's business process modeling tools and of workflow management systems, and we show how they can be applied in the clinical domain. To illustrate the huge potential offered by workflow technology, we present results from the project "Using Workflow Management Systems for Clinical Applications". Within this project we thoroughly analyzed and redesigned core processes from the University's Women hospital and we proto-typically implemented a workflow-based application system for the support of processes from the division day clinic. Although our work shows that current workflow technology is still lacking some important features, in the long run, it may strongly influence information processing within hospitals.

An infrastructure for cooperation and communication in an advanced clinical information system.

In a research project, organizational and technological requirements for an advanced clinical information system have been analysed, and a concept has been developed. From the application's perspective, medical personnel is more actively relieved from routine tasks by support of organizational tasks and by coordination of distributed activities. Program development is supported by a concept of simple and complex services with well-defined interfaces, and by the use of activity templates, i.e. pre-modeled activities describing possible sequences of services. The concept is based on an open systems approach, with a reliable and secure communication infrastructure. In addition, monitoring facilities are provided.