Archetypes and the EHR.

The health information systems of today lack many of the desirable characteristics for clinical care or cost-effective data management which are required for shared care in an ever-changing domain. One of the most important aspects of the clinical information environment is knowledge, as distinct from information. This paper describes how small constraint models of domain concepts, known as archetypes, can be added to the knowledge environment, significantly improving interoperability, software economics and quality of care.