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Integration is the art of decomposition
B M van Poppel1, F A Leguit, J van der Marel
1BAZIS, Schipholweg 97, 2316 XA Leiden, The Netherlands.
Medinfo. MEDINFO
|January 1, 1995
Summary
Integrating information systems with a healthcare system (HIS) is crucial. This study explores three methods for information service integration, highlighting a building block approach for easier achievement.
Area of Science:
- Health Informatics
- Information Systems Engineering
Background:
- Increasing demand for integrating standalone information systems with Healthcare Information Systems (HIS).
- Integration challenges exist across technical, user interface, and information service levels.
- Information service integration is particularly complex, requiring applications to utilize each other's services.
Purpose of the Study:
- To discuss three distinct approaches for enabling external applications to access host system information services.
- To identify the most effective strategy for achieving integrated information services.
Main Methods:
- Analysis of three integration approaches: user interface extraction, coupling modules, and a building block architecture.
- Evaluation of the complexity and effort required for each method, particularly for interactive data exchange.
Main Results:
- User interface extraction is limited by the need to parse service information for users.
- Coupling modules offer a viable solution but require significant effort for complex integrations.
- A building block approach, where applications are decomposed into reusable service-oriented components, shows promise for easier integration.
Conclusions:
- The building block approach offers a more scalable and efficient solution for achieving integrated information services compared to user interface extraction or coupling modules.
- Decomposing applications into well-defined building blocks facilitates inter-system information service utilization.
- Successful implementation of the building block strategy can significantly simplify the integration of information services within HIS environments.