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XML for immediate discharge letters in Scotland.
P S Woolman1, J Oates, J Frame
1Dept. Clinical Physics and Bioengineering, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, North Glasgow Hospitals University NHS Trust, Alexandra Parade, Glasgow, G31 2ER, UK.
Studies in Health Technology and Informatics
|February 24, 2001
Summary
The Scottish Immediate Discharge Project successfully piloted XML for electronic discharge letters, improving clinical data transfer between systems. This facilitates GP access to patient information for better practice management.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Clinical Data Exchange
- Electronic Health Records
Background:
- Current methods for transferring clinical discharge information are often paper-based or inefficient.
- The need for standardized, secure, and efficient electronic communication of patient data between healthcare providers is critical.
- The Scottish Immediate Discharge Project aimed to address these challenges by exploring XML for discharge letters.
Purpose of the Study:
- To evaluate the feasibility and effectiveness of using Extensible Markup Language (XML) for sending and receiving clinical discharge letters in the UK.
- To assess the integration of XML-formatted discharge data into General Practitioner (GP) practice systems.
- To explore the potential for improved clinical information transfer and accessibility for primary care physicians.
Main Methods:
- Developed a Document Type Definition (DTD) for discharge messages based on XML version 1.0, considering existing standards (EDIFACT, CEN).
- Utilized Simple Mail Transfer Protocol (SMTP) over internet mail for message transmission during the pilot phase.
- Collaborated with GP system supplier (GPASS) to develop a module for parsing XML messages into GP patient records.
Main Results:
- Successfully demonstrated the transfer and reception of discharge letters using XML format.
- GP users could read, print, and modify the content of received XML discharge documents before storing them.
- The system allowed for the transfer of readable clinical information, providing GPs with control over data integration.
Conclusions:
- XML is a viable format for electronic discharge letters, enhancing clinical data exchange between hospital and primary care.
- The pilot project confirmed the advantage of providing GPs with readable clinical information and system integration capabilities.
- Further development using secure networks like NHS Net and message formats like X400 is recommended for production systems.