A practical approach to process support in health information systems

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Software Engineering
• Database Systems

Background:

• Healthcare information systems require adaptable application development.
• Integrating new applications seamlessly into existing systems is challenging.
• Document-oriented paradigms and efficient data storage are crucial for clinical workflows.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the design of a generator tool for rapid application development within healthcare information systems.
• To demonstrate how generated applications can support clinical processes via document flow.
• To outline a flexible database schema for storing these applications.

Main Methods:

• Development of a generator tool for rapid application development.
• Implementation of a document-oriented user interaction paradigm.
• Utilization of a generic Entity-Attribute-Value (EAV) database schema for flexible storage.
• Focus on structured document representation, document flow, versioning, and synchronization.

Main Results:

• Applications generated by the tool are integrated into healthcare information systems from inception.
• The system supports intra- and interdepartmental clinical processes through document flow.
• A generic EAV database schema facilitates flexible storage and management of applications.
• Successful routine use in over 200 hospitals in Germany.

Conclusions:

• The generator tool provides an effective approach for rapid development and integration of healthcare applications.
• The document-oriented paradigm and EAV schema enhance flexibility and support complex clinical workflows.
• The widespread adoption in German hospitals demonstrates the practical utility and scalability of the system.