Knowledge Management for Healthcare 331Copyright © 2005, Idea Group Inc. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without writtenimplemented at over 24 National Health Service (NHS) Trusts throughout the UK. The
toolkit consists of four main modules:
- Admin: offers users the ability to control access to databases. It allows authorized
administrators to ensure the integrity of the databases. It supports simultaneous
management and control of information over several different vendor databases
such as Microsoft SQL Server and Oracle SQL Base. - Upload: supports the rapid development of applications that allow users to
automate electronic feeds between different databases. It automatically generates
integrity rules whilst establishing connections between different databases. - QuickBuild: allows users to maintain information (records) that is being held in
databases. - Report Organizer: is a tool that supports information search and retrieval and
supports presentation of the same on word processing applications.
As the toolkit has been built using component technology, it is possible to rapidly
build customized applications from these modules. This leads to low maintenance costs
and saves additional costs for making add-on applications. The use of eXtensible
Markup Language and eXtensible Stylesheet Language as primary standards in the
development of the toolkit ensures that other software applications have the ability to
interact with existing data in the toolkit, thereby ensuring true heterogeneity. As the
HTTP interface is an integral part of the toolkit, all applications built with it are accessible
via Web browsers.
In recent years, the healthcare ICT solution providers’ market in the UK has
undergone a rapid transformation, allowing the company to exploit new opportunities in
the market. The company has noted that, in recent years, the existing exclusive suppliers
to NHS Trusts had become outdated with regard to the quality of services offered to them
as compared with the quality of services offered to clients in the commercial sector by
other solution providers. This gave the company an opportunity to demonstrate its RAD
(rapid application development) techniques to Trusts, allowing it to efficiently develop
solutions for the NHS based on components developed for the commercial sector.
Company X has noted that the existing exclusive suppliers to NHS Trusts had also
become outdated with regard to after-sales service, which it was offering. The company
overcame this by ensuring that it always worked in partnership with Trusts, allowing it
to demonstrate its widespread after-sales experience, lessons learned from ICT projects
in other industry sectors (i.e., banking, distribution, etc.).
Examples of Relevant Healthcare IT Experience in NHS
Trusts
Examples of relevant ICT experience in healthcare organizations include the XYZ
Oncology Information System Project, a consortium of 24 NHS Trusts and a regional
cancer registry. At the end of a lengthy vendor evaluation process, Company X was
selected to be the sole supplier for the entire oncology project. The evaluation board felt
that Company X’s key attributes were the fact that its solution eliminated programming
code, was accessible via a Web browser, and ran on a Windows platform.
Another project involved the ABC Group of Hospitals. The Group was part of the
XYZ Oncology Information System Project consortium. After reviewing the results of the