An Object-Oriented Class Library for Medical Software Development

Abstract:

The objective of this research is the development of a Medical Object Library (MOL) consisting of reusable, inheritable, portable, extendable C⁺⁺ classes that facilitate rapid development of medical software at reduced cost and increased functionality. The result of this research is a library of class objects that range in function from string and hierarchical file handling entities to high level, procedural agents that perform increasingly complex, integrated tasks. A system built upon these classes is compatible with any other system similarly constructed with respect to data definitions, semantics, data organization and storage. As new objects are built, they can be added to the class library for subsequent use. The MOL is a toolkit of software objects intended to support a common file access methodology, a unified medical record structure, consistent message processing, standard graphical display facilities and uniform data collection procedures. This work emphasizes the relationship that potentially exists between the structure of a hierarchical medical record and procedural language components by means of a hierarchical class library and tree structured file access facility. In doing so, it attempts to establish interest in and demonstrate the practicality of the hierarchical medical record model in the modern context of object oriented programming.

Keywords:

Programming Tools - Object Orientation - Medical Software - Medical Record

• References

• 1 Dorenfest SI. The future of health care information systems: where are we, where are we going, how will we get there. In: Proc 1994 Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society Conference. Chicago IL: Healthcare Information Systems Society; 1994
• 2 Lim WC. Effects of reuse on quality, productivity and economics. IEEE Software 1994; 11: 23-30.
• 3 Cattell RG. Object Data Management – Object-Oriented and Extended Relational Database Systems. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publ Comp; 1991
• 4 Barnett GO, Justice NS. COSTAR – a computer based medical information system for ambulatory care. Proc IEEE 1979; 67.
• 5 Ellis MA, Stroustrup B. The Annotated C⁺⁺ Reference Manual. Reading, MA: Addison-Wesley Publ Comp; 1990
• 6 O’Kane KC, McColligan EE. A C⁺⁺ class library foundation for developing an electronic medical record. Comput Biol Med 1995; 25: 415-23.
• 7 O’Kane KC, McColligan EE. A medical record Web access script language. Amer Med Inform Assoc Spring Congress. Kansas City: 1996