# Source: HELP Hospital Information System Papers

**Type:** source
**Status:** Useful
**Confidence:** High
**Source Type:** Peer-Reviewed Paper
**URL:** https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC2203749/; https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/10405877/
**Publisher:** Proceedings of the Annual Symposium on Computer Application in Medical Care; Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association
**Accessed:** 2026-06-18
**Updated:** 2026-06-18

## Summary

The early HELP system paper and 1998 update are primary technical records for the LDS Hospital HELP hospital information system and its role in clinical decision support.

## Useful Claims

- The 1980 paper, "HELP--A Total Hospital Information System," is an early primary account by T. Allan Pryor, Homer R. Warner, Reed M. Gardner, and colleagues.
- The 1998 update describes HELP as a hospital information system at LDS Hospital in Salt Lake City and updates the system's architecture and clinical functions.
- The sources support the claim that HELP was not just an administrative record system; it embedded medical logic and clinical decision support in hospital workflows.
- The author list ties HELP to the University of Utah and LDS Hospital medical-informatics community.

## Reliability Notes

These are peer-reviewed or proceedings-style primary technical sources and are strong for system description, author lineage, and historical claims about HELP's clinical decision-support architecture. They should be paired with independent retrospective evaluations for claims about measured patient outcomes or broad national influence.

## Related Pages

- [HELP Clinical Decision Support System](help-clinical-decision-support-system.md)