title: World-Wide Web-based graphical user interfaces for laboratory data.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Electronic medical record systems permit collection of large amounts of medical information. Usually, information is presented in a fixed format, either as text or tables. Health care providers have to navigate this fixed format in order to find information useful for a specific patient-provider interaction. The main objective of this work was to allow the provider immediate access to specific laboratory information through the development of a highly customizable, graphical user interface to the Mayo Clinic laboratory information system.
  
  
  METHODS
  
  
  
  RESULTS
  Here we describe this platform-independent, World-Wide-Web-based graphical user interface that allows the provider to see all or a predetermined panel of essential laboratory data in graphical format. Advantages include availability at internet-based workstations, immediate recognition of trends over time, ability to zoom in and out of specific periods of time, and detailed analysis of patient values in relationship to normal values.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Web browser-based user interface allowing graphical display of laboratory data using Java technology was described. The connection to the Mayo Clinic laboratory information system combines cross-platform support for use on virtually any networked machine, interaction through a Web browser for ease of use, and a combination of the Perl and Java languages for powerful data processing and interactivity.
authors.affiliation: Department of Computer, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Keller
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: Schaller
authors.forename: J S K
authors.initials: JS
authors.lastname: Wong
authors.forename: P C
authors.initials: PC
authors.lastname: de Groen
mesh_terms: D002984:Clinical Laboratory Information Systems; D002986:Clinical Trials as Topic; D003196:Computer Graphics; D006770:Hospitals, Group Practice; D006801:Humans; D020407:Internet; D016347:Medical Records Systems, Computerized; D008910:Minnesota; D010817:Physician-Patient Relations; D011381:Programming Languages; D014584:User-Computer Interface