Promoting Workflow Integration with Information Management Services and GEM-encoded Guidelines.

Background Integrating guideline knowledge with clinical workflow plays a critical role in effective guideline implementation strategies. Eight information management services promote integration of computerized systems into clinical workflow—recommendation, documentation, explanation, presentation, registration, communication, calculation and aggregation. The Guideline Elements Model (GEM) uses XML to standardize encoding of the content of guideline documents. A guideline implementation application designed to incorporate a variety of information management services can apply components from a GEMencoded guideline document to facilitate workflow integration.