The promise of simultaneous transformation of practice and research with the use of clinical information systems.

The author builds a case that the design and use of intelligent information systems in real-time practice holds the promise of simultaneously transforming practice and research. Requirements include the identification of actionable knowledge that can be embedded in clinical decision support and electronic documentation systems, the creation of clinical data repositories, and a data warehouse from which analyses can be conducted across multiple settings. An innovative project, the Knowledge-Based Nursing Initiative, is briefly described as illustrative of these requirements.