XML as a Communication Tool in Heath Care

1
XML as a Communication Tool in Heath Care

• Stávek Petr

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Utilization IT in health care

• Heterogeneity of care providers groups general
  practitioners, specialists, teaching hospitals,
  laboratories, hospitals
• Various levels of IT utilization
• Various claims to functionality of
  applications
• Necessity to share and interchange of patients
  data

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Level of communication by turn 80th-90th

• Exchange of report files ready for printing
• Creation on individual company interface
  structured and non-structured
• Data exchange (and sharing) among several
  applications from various suppliers (authors,
  companies)
• depends on agreement of used format
• has a problem to choice an interface

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DS version 1.10

• Put into effect in July 1997
• Structured ASCII file
• Basic marker - _at_
• Dependence of the information on the absolute
  position
• Complication with upgrade
• Absence of defined mechanism of file structure
  checking
• Difficult readability of information
• Example of file Slb90008.11n

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DS version 1.10

• Basic characteristics of patients
• Laboratory results and requirements
• Medical reports
• Urgent informations
• Vaccinations
• Used pharmaceuticals, drugs
• Diagnoses
• etc.

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Application of DS 1.10 in routine run

• Has been used less than expected
• Inconsistent description of a number of some
  items- creation of company clones
• Less flexible upgrade
• Absence of arbitrator

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DS version 2.01.01 XML

• Supported by Department of Informatics
• Ministry of Health CR
• Put into effect in 1.6.2001
• Based on previous version DS 1.21
• DTD Structure Definition
• Readability of information
• Flexible development of interface
• Development of utilities
• Example of Slbr0006.xml

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DS version 2.01.01 XML

• Basic characteristics of patients, laboratory
  results and requirements, medical reports,
  urgent informations, vaccinations, used
  pharmaceuticals, diagnoses, etc.
• General solution of collisions in files
• Solution of collisions in lab data
• Packets for microbiology data
• File attachements transfer graphic files

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Utilities

• DS View- XML file viewer- XSL templates
• DS Validator- SAX parser- mechanism of file
  structure checking

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Exploitation of DS 2.0 XML to praxis

• Implementation of premier suppliers of medical SW
  on the market
• Really used communication- LIS x HIS - LIS x GP
  IS
• Continual supplying according practical
  experience
• Preparation of version 3 transmission data
• to Health-care Information and Statistics
  Institute (ÚZIS in Czech)