An efficient solution for the storage and management of clinical data: the minimum data base

Italian hospital medical documentation is objectively very complex. The complexity is caused not only by the large number of different information field which must be included in the medical case-histories but also by the numerous additional documents which are normally associated. Unfortunately, there is a considerable lack of homogeneity between the various models used to handle this type of documentation and the different filing system adopted. Despite the difficulties involved in selecting the data to be preserved, the medical and legal obligations for the archiving of clinical data must be respected. Consequently, there is a strongly felt need for the creation of a system for a rapid storage and management of such data. the paper describes a system which is being designed and developed for this purpose: the Minimum Data Base.