XML for electronic clinical communications in Scotland.

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Communication Systems
• Data Standards in Healthcare

Background:

• Electronic clinical communication is crucial for efficient healthcare delivery.
• Existing systems faced challenges in seamless data transfer and integration.
• Standardization efforts like NHS EDIFACT, HL7v2, and CEN ENV 13606 informed the development.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the use of extensible markup language (XML) for electronic clinical communications in Scotland.
• To assess the feasibility of sending and receiving discharge letters using XML in a UK pilot project.
• To determine the advantages of XML in transferring readable clinical information between disparate computer systems.

Main Methods:

• A pilot project was conducted in Scotland involving electronic discharge letters.
• Extensible markup language (XML) was utilized for message formatting and transfer.
• Collaboration with GP system supplier (GPASS) and NHS Scotland defined the document type definition (DTD).
• A module was developed to parse XML messages into the GP system, allowing GP review and modification.

Main Results:

• The pilot successfully demonstrated the transfer of readable clinical information using XML.
• Receiving general practitioners (GPs) had the flexibility to decode and save clinical and administrative data.
• The system enabled GPs to read, print, and modify content before storing it in their practice records.
• SMTP email was used for message transmission, with parsed messages validated by GP users.

Conclusions:

• XML is a viable standard for electronic clinical communications, specifically for discharge letters.
• The pilot highlighted the benefits of XML in improving data interoperability and GP workflow.
• Further large-scale development of XML Schema and web-based communication is underway for referrals and reports.