Functional requirements of patient data management systems in intensive care medicine

Background: As part of the German government's digitization initiative, the paper-based documentation that is still present in many intensive care units is to be replaced by digital patient data management systems (PDMS). In order to simplify the implementation of such systems, standards for basic functionalities that should be part of basic configurations of PDMS would be of great value.Purpose: This paper describes functional requirements for PDMS in several categories.Methods: Criteria for standardized data documentation were defined by the authors and derived functional requirements were classified into two priority categories.Results: Overall, general technical requirements, functionalities for intensive care patient care, and additional functionalities for PDMS were defined and prioritized.Discussion: Using this paper as a starting point for a discussion about basic functionalities of PDMS, it is planned to develop and obtain consensus on definitive standards with representatives from medical societies, medical informatics and PDMS manufacture.