The software has been developed in Smalltalk80 [1] on SUN and Apple Macintosh computers. Smalltalk80 is an object-oriented programming system which permits rapid prototyping. The need for prototyping in the specification of general practitioner systems was highlighted as long ago as 1980 [4] and is essential to the user -centred philosophy of the project. The goal is a hardware independent system usable on any equipment capable of supporting an integrated environment for handling both textual and graphics and 'point and select' interaction. The architecture is extensible and provides a platform for future experimention with technical advances such as touch screens and voice technology. User Interface Management Systems (UIMS) technology is developing rapidly offering a number of techniques which allow the abstract design of the interface to be separated from the screen/display management on one hand and the internal workings of the application on the other. [2] The importance of this 'layered' approach is that such techniques enable the user to tailor the application to his/her individual preferences and the design team has included and developed many of these ideas into the design. 7. Conclusion: Value Added to Health.

This proceedings volume represents the state of the art in health information technology in Europe. The particular slant of this meeting is Health Added Value from information technology - how information adds to society's health.

Clinical Information Systems I & II.- Community and Primary Care I & II.- Health Added Value.- DRGs, Case-Mix and Costings.- Nursing Systems I & II.- Expert Systems I - VI.- Education, Computer Aided Instruction I & II.- Hospital Information Systems I & II.- Communications and PACS I & II.- Health Promotion.- Environmental/Communicable Disease/Epidemiology I & II.- Critical Safety and Privacy.- Natural Language Translation I & II.- Quality Assurance.- Medical Technology I & II.- Imaging and Allied Topics.- Health Informatics in Europe.- Poster Presentations.- Author Index.