On decision making support in blood bank information systems

Information and computer technology popularizes in blood banks for its potentials in working efficiency as well as service quality. But, in the face of the explosive data and information, one of the challenges in blood bank information systems is how to make good use of them for decision making support. In this paper, we desire to explore the mechanisms of decision making support in blood bank information systems. Firstly, the properties of data and decisions in a blood bank are examined carefully; then, we introduce the development of computerized decision making support with special concerns on blood donation and transfusion service; finally, a case study is presented to evidence our understanding on decision making support in blood bank information systems. 2007 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.