IAIMS Factsheet

What is IAIMS?

IAIMS is a National Library of Medicine Program to assist health-related schools, organizations and libraries in planning, developing and implementing computer systems that make it possible for health care workers to gain access to the information they need for problem solving and learning. IAIMS is a two-phase process. Phase I involves institution-wide planning and policy analysis; Phase II is a full-scale implementation of the plans.

The University of Washington Health Sciences Center (UWHSC) successfully completed its planning phase in 1993 and in 1994 was awarded a five-year implementation grant from the National Library of Medicine to implement the University of Washington's long-range plan. The Health Sciences Center, which includes the Schools of Dentistry, Medicine, Nursing, Pharmacy, Public Health and Community Medicine, and Social Work, as well as the University of Washington and Harborview Medical Centers, has been engaged in a comprehensive integrated information systems planning and development effort for over five years. The result has been a strategic plan for linkages of key clinical, educational and research databases and systems, a robust state-of-the-art high speed network connecting all areas of the Health Sciences Center, as well as the creation of a number of sophisticated tools in support of easy desktop access for users.

The University of Washington Integrated Advanced Information Management System specific aims in support of broad academic health sciences information systems integration goal:

• Establish organizational relationships that support and facilitate integrated access to health information, specifically embracing systems initiatives of the Schools, the Medical Centers, the Health Sciences Library and Information Center, the University Office of Computing and Communications, and other affiliated entities.
• Expand the technical infrastructure including the network and related services.
• Promote access to relevant, high-quality databases, including image, full-text, bibliographic and numeric, in order to support effective clinical, research and educational decision making.
• Create effective information retrieval and management interfaces and tools for quality clinical, research and educational decision making.
• Promote faculty development in the application of effective information technology in research, education, and clinical care.
• Create educational programs and training opportunities in the effective use of information technology for health sciences students.
• Develop and academic program to promote research, development and training in health sciences library and information management, clinical decision support, image management and integrated information systems design.
• Ensure adequate core resources to support Health Sciences Center-wide information systems integration.
• Identify, describe, and in partnership with other institutions, vendors and federal agencies, develop approaches to information policy issues including confidentiality, ownership, copyright, and participatory use, as they relate to a variety of information formats.
• Support the development of local, statewide, regional and national high performance computing networks.