Computer-based medical decision support system in diagnosis and treatment of musculoskeletal disorders and injuries.

The use of information technologies in health care systems around the world dates back to the 1970s. But it was only the dynamic development of information technology in the 1990s that enabled significant development of IT systems supporting broadly defined medical activity. The ongoing process of transformation of the Polish healthcare system has been forcing health care providers to expend financial, material and human resources increasing efficiency. At the same time, the very dynamic development of medical sciences and information technologies has brought about a significant increase in the number of papers of importance for the effectiveness and quality of medical care. As a result, medical specialists are not able to keep up with the constantly updated medical knowledge. These factors are making standardization of health care processes a growing necessity. This paper is an introductory work presenting, on the basis of the available literature and the authors' research experience, a historical outline, stages of development and state of the art of information technology in medicine, as well as theoretical objectives of the project, which are specified in the title of this paper.