Medical markup language (MML) for XML-based hospital information interchange

Medical Markup Language (MML) has been developed over the last 6 years in order to create a set of standards by which medical data, within Japan and hopefully worldwide, can be stored, accessed and exchanged in any number of physical locates. The MML version 2.21 is characterized by XML as meta-language, module structure for each document and enhancement of linking function among documents. Data exchange specification has been also added for query and reply. MML instances are composed of MML header and MML body. The MML header includes information for data transmission, while MML body includes several module items. One module item contains two elements: document information and module content. Nine MML module contents are defined at the present time: patient information, health insurance information, diagnosis information, lifestyle information, basic clinic information, particular information at the time of first visit, progress course information, surgery record information and clinical summary information.