Medical Informatics Europe 90

The software has been developed in Smalltalk80 [1] on SUN and Apple Macintosh computers. Smalltalk80 is an object-oriented programming system which permits rapid prototyping. The need for prototyping in the specification of general practitioner systems was highlighted as long ago as 1980 [4] and is essential to the user -centred philosophy of the project. The goal is a hardware independent system usable on any equipment capable of supporting an integrated environment for handling both textual and graphics and 'point and select' interaction. The architecture is extensible and provides a platform for future experimention with technical advances such as touch screens and voice technology. User Interface Management Systems (UIMS) technology is developing rapidly offering a number of techniques which allow the abstract design of the interface to be separated from the screen/display management on one hand and the internal workings of the application on the other. [2] The importance of this 'layered' approach is that such techniques enable the user to tailor the application to his/her individual preferences and the design team has included and developed many of these ideas into the design. 7. Conclusion: Value Added to Health.