Standard generalized mark-up language: should it have a role in clinical records?

Standard generalized mark-up language (SGML) could have a role as one of the information management tools available to system developers and users because it has unique features that can help solve some of the current problems in clinical informatics. SGML allows the logical structure of multimedia documents to be described in a way that is independent of the hardware or software platform. This offers considerable advantages for purchasers of systems because it gives an opportunity to develop records that can be readily authored and read by a variety of systems, offering a route to effective communication of electronic clinical information.