NICE Web Content Management System
OCC, in partnership with sister company, Oxinet, has brought new clarity and professionalism to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence (NICE) public website. We helped produce an online information resource that enhances communication, data access and management. The site includes XML code and is scalable, ie it is designed to grow as the NICE organisation expands.
Database expansion and enhancement
We also upgraded and expanded the Bibliographical database used by NICE to organise bibliographic information about medical and related publications. The software was enhanced to include clinical guidelines, new functions, such as hyperlinks, for electronically published documents, conversion of a field labelled "Publisher" to search a look-up list and enhancement of Boolean search facilities to allow searches using "OR", for example.
The NICE project builds on the successful establishment of another OCC project, SEAHORSE, an interactive on-line information resource for HIV/AIDS. Used by healthcare organisations, NGO's, medical professionals and individuals across Europe, SEAHORSE allows the integration of information from several sources, enables multi-layered security access, offers automatic multi-lingual support and sophisticated data management.
Advanced development of resources
NICE's online communication goals provided the underlying basis for advanced development as follows:
- a comprehensive online resource containing current information for use by all stakeholder groups represented by NICE.
- enhanced communication between medical review bodies, consultants and NHS managers in a secure, accountable context.
- an integrated document, project and information management system.
- a delivery medium for the vast amounts of internally held data, including a positive vetting system for marking information as public domain or for assigning interest-groups.
- on-line document based e-commerce activities (eg pay-per-view, secure transactions, digital watermarking).
- advanced searching of all published NICE resources for both lay people and medical professionals.
Integration of websites with systems
It is essential for expanding organisations like NICE to integrate web sites with database and document management systems so that the manageability problems associated with manually operated static sites are avoided.
