title: Supporting interoperability between medical knowledge-based systems: experience from pilot implementations.
abstract: Interoperability may be defined as the ability of knowledge-based systems to function together in a symbiotic manner. Cooperativity implies interoperability but with the added benefit that the output quality of the cooperative network exceeds the overall performance of the participating sub-systems. A number of candidate architectures to support interoperability and cooperativity between medical knowledge-based systems in laboratory medicine domains are now becoming available. Using rapid prototyping techniques, we have demonstrated the feasibility of one of these approaches by carrying out pilot implementations in two unrelated laboratory medicine domains (an internal consistency checking system for validating patients' results in the laboratory and a system for generating alarms and alerts in high dependency units based on laboratory data). The results of this study are discussed in the context of the available techniques so as to provide a basis for further development of cooperative systems in laboratory medicine.
authors.affiliation: Division of Chemical Pathology and Endocrinology, United Medical and Dental School (Guy's Campus), London, UK.
authors.forename: G P
authors.initials: GP
authors.lastname: Boran
authors.forename: P G
authors.initials: PG
authors.lastname: Given
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Grimson
authors.forename: R R
authors.initials: RR
authors.lastname: O'Moore
mesh_terms: D002624:Chemistry, Clinical; D002984:Clinical Laboratory Information Systems; D003422:Critical Care; D006801:Humans