National Network of Libraries of Medicine

nnlm.gov

Note: Pages in this archival exhibit describe a project which was conducted between October 1992 and April 1994.

From Bench to Bedside

High speed digital communications transform the way organizations operate and the way professional communities exchange information and collaborate. To date, this revolution has largely been confined to academic and research institutions. Increasingly, however, smaller and more diverse organizations are using the power and realizing the benefits of wide-area computer networking.

The National Library of Medicine leads the way in developing Internet applications for healthcare. One example is NLM's Digital X-ray Prototype Network (DXPNET), an optical disk jukebox-based archive of digitized spine x-rays, to be made available over the Internet. Shown above is the user workstation which allows a remote user to retrieve and manipulate the image for improved viewing. George Thoma, Ph.D., Chief, Communications Engineering Branch, NLM.

Hospitals are complex organizations that operate in an information-intensive environment where communication, both internal and external, is critical. The power of technology is particularly evident when applied to small, rural hospitals which typically face tight budgets and distances that make travel to other hospitals or urban centers cost- and time-prohibitive. Access to information and the ability to communicate, through computer networking, alleviate many of the chronic and debilitating problems faced by these vital links in the healthcare system.

The National Library of Medicine (NLM) has assumed a leading role in promoting the benefits of high performance computing and communications in all aspects of the health care enterprise: from research, to education, and to clinical practice. We believe that communication among health professionals results in improved health care, or, as Lucretia McClure said, "We stand between the bench and the bedside in supporting the scientist and the practitioner." [Inaugural Address, Bulletin of the Medical Library Association, v. 79, n. 1, Jan. 1991, p. 142.]

Largely because of seminal work done by NLM, health sciences librarians understand and are familiar with electronic networks. Knowledgeable librarians are ideally suited to introduce networking in an organization. Librarians are experienced in navigating information systems, whether paper-based or electronic, and in translating the language and logic of the system for the person trying to use it to solve a problem.

The National Network of Libraries of Medicine, Pacific Northwest Region, at the University of Washington, proposed a three-part project that would take advantage of expertise at NLM, the University of Washington, and in local hospital libraries. The project is entitled Bench to Bedside: Research and Testing of Internet Resources and Connections in Community Hospital Libraries.

The strength of the project in the Pacific Northwest lies in the bridging of environments -- from community hospitals, to academic medical centers, to the National Library of Medicine -- to address one of the most important issues facing health care today: the electronic transmission and delivery of information.

Go to From Bench to Bedside Index / Introduction / Project Description / Alaska Native Medical Center / Kalispell Regional Hospital / Kootenai Medical Center / Merle West Medical Center / Providence General Medical Center / St. Peter Hospital / Shodair Hospital / Helix / Anatomy Browser

Go to the NN/LM PNR WWW Home Page now.