Technological Silos in the ER

Informational silos refers to the idea that different organizational structures cannot communicate with each other--classically the only way the pre-WWII Navy and the Army communicated was through the President. 

Interesting piece at Technology Review discussing the fact that medical devices don't talk to each other.  Each device is the outcome of a long process of evolutionary development and improvement, aimed at one problem.  But when they're attached to/monitoring the same patient, they need to talk.  Or, as is said in Cool Hand Luke: "what we have here is failure to communicate".