A Web implementation: The good and the not-so-good

E-commerce, e-mail, e-greeting, e-this, and e-thateverywhere you turn there is a new "e" word for an internet or Web application. We, at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation, have been "e-nlightened" and will discuss in this repor t the implementation of a web-based radiology information system (RIS) in o ur radiology division or "e-radiology" division. The application, IDXRad Ve rsion 10.0 from IDX Corp, Burlington, VT, is in use at the Cleveland Clinic Foundation and has both intranet (for use in Radiology) and internet (refe rring physician viewing) modules. We will concentrate on the features of us ing a web browser for the application's front-end, including easy prototypi ng for screen review, easier mock-ups of demonstrations by vendors and deve lopers, and easier training as more people become web-addicted. Project com munication can be facilitated with an internal project web page, and use of the web browser can accommodate quicker turnaround of software upgrades as the software code is centrally located. Compared with other technologies, including client/server, there is a smaller roll out cost when using a stan dard web browser. However, the new technology requires a change and changes are never implemented without challenges. A seasoned technologist using a legacy system can enter data quicker using function keys than using a graph ical user interface and pointing and clicking through a series of pop-up wi ndows. Also, effective use of a web browser depends on intuitive design for it to be easily implemented and accepted by the user. Some software packag es will not work on both of the popular web browsers and then are tailored to specific release levels. As computer-based patient records become a stan dard, patient confidentiality must be enforced. The technical design and ap plication security features that support the web-based software package wil l be discussed. Also web technologies have their own implementation issues. Copyright (C) 2001 by W.B. Saunders Company.