RICHMOND, Va.-The organ matching system operated by the United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) has achieved recognition as an example of innovative technology.
The Smithsonian Institute recently incorporated the system into its Permanent Research Collection on Information Technology. "The collection is a comprehensive anthology of significant achievement and innovation over the past decade, which have made substantial contributions to the advancement of the dynamic world of information technology," UNOS said in a statement posted in its Newsroom at www.unos.org.
UNOS said that its new organ matching system, Unet, began operating last winter and "enables transplant professionals to share essential medical information instantaneously over the Internet when minutes make a life-saving difference."
UNOS was one of 440 organizations in 21 countries to become a permanent part of the Smithsonian's collection. Spencer Crew, director of the Smithsonian's National Museum of American History said: "The primary source material submitted by UNOS will enrich the [museum's] growing collection on the history of information technology and contribute significantly to the museum's ongoing efforts to chronicle the Information Age."
UNOS said in another statement that Microsoft has acknowledged UNOS's "successful blend of Internet and Microsoft tools" by including the organization's use of technology in a case study. To allow communication between its 200 employees and 4000 online users in hospitals, transplant centers, and organ procurement centers, UNOS created a platform for the exchange of transplant data combining Internet-based communication and Microsoft tools, including Windows 2000.
For Your Information:
Microsoft's UNOS case study is posted at www.microsoft.com/dna/about/success/Unos.asp.
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