The architecture of this web-based system had two parts. The first was the hospital infrastructure, where we added our Lapatinib server to the existing demilitarised zone of the hospital, which was protected by a firewall and integrated into the hospital��s information system network. Health professionals accessed this server via the hospital��s intranet. The second part was the home infrastructure, where the patient accessed the server via a basic broadband connection and, for security reasons, through a virtual private network. Of critical importance in the system was the connection of the server with three databases. The Virtual database was the new database created for the telemedicine system, where the data of patients involved in the trial were stored. This database was filled and synchronised with the HIV/ AIDS database, which the Infectious Diseases Service of the Hospital Clinic has been using over the last twenty years; this database includes the records of over 5,000 HIV/AIDS patients. Finally, the server was also connected to the pharmacy database, where all the available drugs and data related to antiretroviral compliance were recorded. The graphical interface was carefully designed in order to make it user friendly for both professionals and patients. Another main goal was to develop a low-cost system so as to enable an increased number of patients to be offered such care in the future. This is why low-cost, home web cams and broadband were some of the chosen technologies for the implementation. Security was one of the most carefully designed aspects of the project, mainly because of its experimental nature and due to the characteristics of the disease in question. As well as securing the communications, via VPN tunnelling, patient data were also encrypted and all personal identification data were removed. A completely separate tool was developed outside the web system, so that only the system administrator would have access to it. All access to the system was LY2157299 monitored, and the system automatically sent an alert e-mail to the technical manager in the event of recurrent access. More technical information about Virtual Hospital has been previously reported. Virtual Hospital offered four main services: Virtual Consultations, Telepharmacy, Virtual Library and Virtual Community. Virtual consultations had two levels: first, appointments/consultations conducted via videoconferencing; and second, chat sessions or message exchanges for emergency or off-schedule consultations. During any of these sessions the Electronic Health Record was available to both professionals and patients.