The RICHE Reference Architecture.

The RICHE Reference Architecture defines an open framework for health care information systems. Developed within the ESPRIT II programme, it is now the basis of several implementations in hospitals in Italy, Portugal, Ireland, France and the UK, and of follow-up initiatives such as EDITH (ESPRIT, no. 7508), NUCLEUS (AIM II, no. 2025) and REFERENCE (a French hospitals' project). This contribution describes the RICHE Reference Architecture in detail. Special concern is centred on the modulus that constitute the basic platform of RICHE, and on the methodology applied to design the interactions between them.