Welcome to the OpenEHR Intro Session repository! This project was created as part of my work for CISTEC (@cistec) and aims to provide a comprehensive guide for those leading our OpenEHR integration efforts. Below, you'll find a description of the contents, setup instructions, and other useful information.
- Introduction
- What is OpenEHR?
- OpenEHR Architecture
- Key Components
- Why OpenEHR?
- Benefits and Drawbacks
- OpenEHR vs Traditional EHR Systems
- Integration Methods
- Main Vendors/Products
- Understanding Archetypes and Templates
- Interacting with OpenEHR
- Best Practices and Common Pitfalls
- Hands-on Examples
- Community Resources
This repository contains the materials used in the OpenEHR Intro Session, designed to help senior web developers in our organization understand and effectively integrate OpenEHR into our projects.
OpenEHR is an open standard specification for health data management and storage, developed by the OpenEHR Foundation. It aims to improve the quality of healthcare through better use of information, emphasizing the separation of clinical knowledge from technical implementation.
- Two-level modeling approach
- Archetype-based design
- Vendor-neutral
- Supports semantic interoperability within OpenEHR systems
- Complements data exchange standards like HL7 FHIR
OpenEHR's architecture is built on a stable reference model, using archetypes and templates to separate information from knowledge. This structure allows for flexible and future-proof health data management.
- Reference Model (RM): Foundational data types and structures
- Archetypes: Reusable clinical concepts
- Templates: Combine and constrain archetypes for specific use cases
- Compositions: Structure actual patient data
OpenEHR addresses modern healthcare IT challenges by standardizing and improving the quality of health data. Its vendor-neutral, flexible approach helps future-proof clinical data and supports interoperability between healthcare systems.
- Standardization across systems and countries
- Interoperability between different healthcare IT systems
- Future-proofing clinical data
- Clinician-led development of data models
- Flexibility to adapt to changing medical knowledge
- Semantic querying capabilities
- Reduced vendor lock-in
- Improved data quality and consistency
- Complexity of the modeling approach
- Steep learning curve for developers
- Limited tooling for archetype development
- Integration challenges with existing systems
- Resource-intensive implementation
Compared to traditional EHR systems, OpenEHR offers flexible, archetype-based models that are easily extensible and vendor-neutral, making them adaptable to evolving healthcare needs.
OpenEHR provides methods for integrating with other systems using external references and standard protocols like HL7 and FHIR, maintaining comprehensive patient data without unnecessary duplication.
Provides tools for building healthcare apps and integrating systems.
An open-source OpenEHR clinical data repository implementing the latest OpenEHR specifications.
Archetypes are formal definitions of clinical concepts, while templates combine and constrain these archetypes for specific use cases. Tools like ADL Designer and Archetype Editor help create and manage these components.
The OpenEHR REST API supports CRUD operations on EHRs, Compositions, and other entities, using JSON for data exchange and supporting both flat and non-flat formats.
A SQL-like language for querying OpenEHR data, supporting complex conditions, aggregations, and joins.
- Understand OpenEHR architecture and its components
- Implement proper error handling
- Optimize for performance
- Ensure data quality
- Engage with the OpenEHR community
Common pitfalls include treating OpenEHR data as flat structures, embedding clinical concepts in application code, and not thoroughly testing with realistic clinical data.
Practical examples demonstrate the integration of OpenEHR in web applications, including creating a patient vital signs form and querying/displaying patient data using AQL.
Feel free to reach out with any questions or discussions. Engage with the OpenEHR community to share knowledge and collaborate!