1. Computerized Anaesthesia Information Management Systems: Are we on the threshold of widespread use? Martin Gardner, Current Opinion in Anesthesiology, Dec. 2001

2. Why aren’t AIMS’ widely adopted? • Most focus on Peri-operative data capture • Pre-operative and post-operative assessment continue to be tasks least well supported. • Pre- and post-operative information is crucial for case management, auditing, governance, and research. • Pre- and post-operative information is the most paper intensive process. • Little proof of outcomes improvement, but “convincing evidence that working with a computer system will be slower than paper.”

3. What are the limitations of AIMS? • Inadequate Vertical Integration • Limited Mobility • Lack of Standards • Inadequate Horizontal Integration • Lack of perceived benefit to immediate users.

4. Developments since publication • Wireless local area networks are now a more mature technology and are beginning to become standard in enterprise environment. • Handheld and Tablet devices can not allow pre and post operative data collection at the bedside. • Extensible Mark-up Language (XML) provide an easier way to integrate AIMS with other clinical systems. • Extensible Mark-Language (XML) provides a flexible schema for developing open standards for AIMS.