Data translation issues in a hospital information network

This thesis describes the process used in linking the blood bank data found on a laboratory computer system with a central, hospital wide computer system. The problems encountered in creating a hierarchical, variable format data structure on the hospital computer system that would accommodate all of the data that had been collected in a relative, fixed data structure on the laboratory system are discussed in considerable detail. In addition, the constrains imposed by requiring this data structure to facilitate the use of computer aided medial decision making software are detailed. This paper also elaborates on how a translation table was employed n concert with translation software to affect the transfer of the data from the laboratory to the hospital system. Finally, the immediate and anticipated applications of the blood bank data on the hospital system are described.