Open-source software for the NHS.

Proprietary software places purchasers at their suppliers' mercy for support and customisation; lock-in is the rule, Open-source software ensures that code is freely available for anyone to download and use. Software businesses that tailor and service the software for organisations can still be prof...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:British Journal of Healthcare Computing & Information Management Vol. 18; no. 9; pp. 27 - 30
Main Authors: Midgley A, Carnall D, Smith C
Format: Journal Article
Published: HIMSS Europe GmbH 2001 Nov
Online Access:View this record in EBSCOhost
Description
Summary:Proprietary software places purchasers at their suppliers' mercy for support and customisation; lock-in is the rule, Open-source software ensures that code is freely available for anyone to download and use. Software businesses that tailor and service the software for organisations can still be profitable but will free users from supplier lock-in. Several NHS organisations are already deploying open-source software with considerable satisfaction. Open-source development methods have yet to be widely used in the healthcare domain, but there are many lessons for the developers of applications.