Many decision-support applications coexist within EMR systems and they must be integrated to the continuously expanding database of individual patients and groups of patients. Data required for patient care must be available in a timely, reliable and complete manner with the user being able to extract data they require in the format that best suits their decision making (Blum 1986, Kuperman et al 1991). Timeliness of data retrieval is critical in patient care and it has been recommended that data recall times of less than two seconds should be achieved irrespective of the complexity of the decision support function (Clayton & Pryor 1991). An example of how access, storage, and manipulation of clinical data is able to assist all levels of health care is illustrated