Title: Exploiting ebXML registry semantic constructs for handling archetype metadata in healthcare informatics

Authors: Asuman Dogac, Gokce B. Laleci, Yildiray Kabak, Seda Unal, Sam Heard, Thomas Beale, Peter L. Elkin, Farrukh Najmi, Carl Mattocks, David Webber, Martin Kernberg

Addresses: Software Research and Development Center, Computer Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Turkey. ' Software Research and Development Center, Computer Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Turkey. ' Software Research and Development Center, Computer Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Turkey. ' Software Research and Development Center, Computer Engineering Department, Middle East Technical University, Turkey. ' CEO Ocean Informatics, Australia Adjunct Professor, Health Informatics, Central Queensland University, Senior Visiting Research Fellow, CHIME, University College London. ' CTO Ocean Informatics, Australia Senior Research Fellow, CHIME, University College London. ' Chair, OASIS International Healthcare Continuum (IHC), Professor of Medicine, Mayo Clinic College of Medicine, USA. ' Sun Microsystems Inc., USA. ' OASIS ebXML Registry Semantic Content SC, CEO, CHECKMi, USA. ' OASIS CAM TC, Washington DC, USA. ' Director, UCSF Stanford Medical Informatics Project, Assistant Clinical Professor of Medicine, University of California, San Francisco, CA, USA

Abstract: Using archetypes is a promising approach in providing semantic interoperability among healthcare systems. To realise archetype based interoperability, the healthcare systems need to discover the existing archetypes, based on their semantics; annotate their archetypes with ontologies; compose templates from archetypes and retrieve corresponding data from the underlying medical information systems. In this paper, we describe how ebXML Registry semantic constructs can be used for annotating, storing, discovering and retrieving archetypes. For semantic annotation of archetypes, we present an example of an archetype metadata ontology and describe the techniques to access archetype semantics through ebXML query facilities. We present a GUI query facility and describe how the stored procedures, which we introduce, move the semantic support beyond what is currently available in ebXML registries. We also address how archetype data can be retrieved from clinical information systems by using ebXML web services. A comparison of web service technology with the ebXML messaging system is provided to justify the reasons for using web services.

Keywords: healthcare informatics; semantic interoperability; ebXML registries; archetypes; semantic constructs; metadata; ontologies; medical information systems; web services; health information systems.

DOI: 10.1504/IJMSO.2006.008767

International Journal of Metadata, Semantics and Ontologies, 2006 Vol.1 No.1, pp.21 - 36

Published online: 23 Jan 2006 *

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