IMASIS. A multicenter hospital information system--experience in Barcelona.

: The present study aimed to analyse physicians' attitudes towards IMASIS, and their potential influence on IMASIS medical record project. IMAS (Institut Municipal d'Assistencia Sanitaria) is the health care organisation of the City Council of Barcelona. IMAS hospital information system (IMASIS), which first applications were designed and implemented in 1984, is currently facing a new phase, focused on clinical information management. Our approach included a personal interview with representatives of every hospital unit, and a self-administered questionnaire distributed to every clinician. Both provided a worthy insight into the cultural patterns to be considered in the HIS implementation process. Moreover, the results helped to define the subsequent steps of IMASIS evolution. Our experience is proposed as a tool to assess clinical informations systems from a user point of view.