The Brussels-based European Health and Telematics Association (EHTEL) interactive web site was developed ped by OCC and is powered by inQuire2, OCC's award-winning, multilingual content management system (CMS).

Dr Herve Doare (see photo on right), EHTEL's Chairman describes the company as, "a not-for-profit association that aims to support healthcare providers to deliver efficient and effective services throughout Europe". Consequently, it was essential for the new web site to provide interactive networking between healthcare agencies regardless of language, location or time zone.

inQuire2 was selected because of its multilingual functionality and previous success as the driver for Europe’s first ever HIV/AIDS health information exchange, SEAHORSE, and for Britain’s National Institute for Clinical Excellence.

The tool is essentially a web-fronted integrated database system that automates the entire life-cycle of content (documents or images) and provides tremendous efficiency gains as follows:

• Anyone can submit documents using computers at home or at work, either by keying in new text, pasting information into specially devised templates or attaching documents in their original formats, eg MS Word,Excel or .pdf.
• Validity Dates are specified when the document is created to ensure that the document is published and removed from the website automatically.  As well, an editor will be prompted by an email to review the document before it is removed from the site.
• Communication costs are reduced because multiple users can access and contribute information through their browsers.
• Quality is controlled with a workflow management system that ensures documents are reviewed, modified and approved before publication.
• User participation increases because people feel they are contibuting to a forum within which individuals can share the language, syntax and values of the wider group.

Being healthcare related, the system has to be highly secure. Thus, while everyone can view “public” pages describing EHTEL and the scope of its activities and services, by logging in, members are able to unlock additional information not seen by other groups.

Members are also assigned different task responsibilities such as contributing documents in a variety of formats or editing/approving material submitted by others. These tasks are performed remotely, using any computer internet browser and, in this way, EHTEL has enabled its members to exchange “best practice” ideas and expand awareness of health and telematics products and services in a powerful e-learning environment.

The site also acts as a portal to different information sources and hosts an e-Health database, subscription facilities, projects and events, etc.

inQuire2 was designed after extensive research with Social Scientists from The Tavistock Institute, with the aim of giving people the power to access and contribute to information of specific interest. At OCC, we expect that this type of participative learning environment will draw people with similar beliefs together and transform them into "virtual communities".