How can CPR benefit from XML?

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How can CPR benefit from XML?

• By Patricio Cobar

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Outline

• What is CPR?
• What is XML?
• Benefits of using XML in CPR systems
• XML a language we can all understand
• The document hierarchy
• Representing the medical record (XML vs.
  databases)
• XML and the CPR architecture
• To each his own
• Supporting industry standards
• Summary
• Conclusion

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What is CPR?

• Computer-based Patient Record.
• Electronically maintained information about an
  individual's lifetime of health status and health
  care.
• CPR systems serve as research facilities in which
  large quantities of health information is made
  available while maintaining the confidentiality
  of patients and providers.
• Web-based CPR systems use Internet technologies
  to accomplish their goals.

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What is XML?

• eXtensible Markup Language.
• Just like HTM, it is used to define how pages
  appear in web browsers.
• Unlike HTML, It provides a context for
  information, defines what the piece of
  information actually means.
• Allows the use of customized tags.
• Supports infinite levels of hierarchal of
  information.

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What is XML? (CONTINUED)

• Context-less
• ltHTMLgt
• ltBODYgt
• ltBgt
• important piece of information )(
• lt/Bgt
• lt/BODYgt
• lt/HTMLgt

• Context-sensitive
• ltXMLgt
• ltimportant_piece_of_information VALUE )(
  gt
• lt/important_piece_of_informationgt
• lt/XMLgt

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XML a language we can all understand

• With XML we can explicitly describe the names of
  the pieces of data we are collecting.
• Easily understood by humans and computers

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Easily understood XML file
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The Document Hierarchy

• XML supports infinite levels of hierarchical
  information within a document (tree-like
  representation).
• The format of used in medical records is
  source-oriented. Data are grouped according to
  the source that generated the data (also
  tree-like representation).

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XML vs. Databases

• Databases do not provide the level of detail that
  XML is able to represent.
• The relational database model represents data
  using entities and relationships. XML employs a
  document-centric approach.
• Representing a medical record using a relational
  database is more complicated.
• Because XML is so widely use, database vendors
  have built XML facilities into their latest
  database products.

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Sample Medical Record
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XML and The CPR Architecture
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To Each His Own

• CPR systems must be able to produce a different
  screen for every group accessing the medical
  record.
• eXtensive Style Sheets (XSL) is a feature of XML
  that we can use to produce different outputs
  based on the same data

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Supporting industry standards

• Through the use of Document Type Definitions, XML
  can help enforce standards.
• . By using DTD along with industry standards, we
  can improve the completeness of the medical
  record by providing a clear description of the
  content of the data in the medical record.

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Summary

• XML gives you a standard and more legible way to
  represent the medical record than traditional
  databases.
• XML can help healthcare professionals enforce
  standards and, at the same time, improve the
  completeness of the medical record.
• Facilitate the exchange of medical records.

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Conclusion

• There is already a place for XML in the CPR
  architecture, the integration engine.
• Sharing this document throughout the enterprise
  or with external systems presents no problem, the
  XML medical record contains a standard structure.

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References

• Pothen, Daniel, and Bambang Parmanto. XML
  Furhters CPR Goals. Journal of AHIMA. October
  2000.
• Available at http//www.ahima.journal.cutting.edg
  e/0010.html 
• Sokolowsky, Rachel. XML Makes it mark. Journal
  of AHIMA. November 1999.
• Available at http//www.ahima.journal.cutting.edg
  e/9911.html 
• Young, Michael. Step by Step XML. Redmon
  WA.Microsoft Press, 2000.
• Kibbe, David, Bard, Mark R. How Safe Are
  Computerized Patient Records? American Academy
  of Family Physicians.
• Available at http//www.aafp.org/fpm/970500fm/lea
  d.html