Model once, use multiple times: reusing HL7 domain models from one domain to the other

The Dutch national ICT institute in healthcare (www.nictiz.nl) developed a domain information model for perinatology, to map to the Health Level 7 Reference Information Model (HL7 RIM). This model was constructed with the intention to make it reusable for other domains in order to achieve a national infrastructure based on the HL7 RIM. In two projects, the perinatology model was reused, which lead to some changes to better express the domain. It proves valuable to have a kind of generic domain model, which can be adapted easily to other domains. In these projects, information for hart infarction (cardiology) and stroke (neurology) was modelled. Few domain specific changes where necessary, which could be made following the same methodology. Both the models and the methodology prove to be re-usable.