Semantic Validation of Standard-based Electronic Health Record Documents with W3C XML Schema

C. Rinner; S. Janzek-Hawlat; S. Sibinovic; G. Duftschmid

doi:10.3414/ME09-02-0027

Methods of Information in Medicine, Table of Contents

Methods Inf Med 2010; 49(03): 271-280
DOI: 10.3414/ME09-02-0027

Special Topic – Original Articles

Schattauer GmbH

Semantic Validation of Standard-based Electronic Health Record Documents with W3C XML Schema

C. Rinner

¹Section of Medical Information and Retrieval Systems, Core Unit for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

,

S. Janzek-Hawlat

¹Section of Medical Information and Retrieval Systems, Core Unit for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

,

S. Sibinovic

¹Section of Medical Information and Retrieval Systems, Core Unit for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

,

G. Duftschmid

¹Section of Medical Information and Retrieval Systems, Core Unit for Medical Statistics and Informatics, Medical University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria

› Author Affiliations

Abstract

Summary

Objectives: The goal of this article is to examine whether W3C XML Schema provides a practicable solution for the semantic validation of standard-based electronic health record (EHR) documents. With semantic validation we mean that the EHR documents are checked for conformance with the underlying archetypes and reference model.

Methods: We describe an approach that allows XML Schemas to be derived from archetypes based on a specific naming convention. The archetype constraints are augmented with additional components of the reference model within the XML Schema representation. A copy of the EHR document that is transformed according to the before-mentioned naming convention is used for the actual validation against the XML Schema.

Results: We tested our approach by semantically validating EHR documents conformant to three different ISO/EN 13606 archetypes respective to three sections of the CDA implementation guide “Continuity of Care Document (CCD)” and an implementation guide for diabetes therapy data. We further developed a tool to automate the different steps of our semantic validation approach.

Conclusions: For two particular kinds of archetype prescriptions, individual transformations are required for the corresponding EHR documents. Otherwise, a fully generic validation is possible. In general, we consider W3C XML Schema as a practicable solution for the semantic validation of standard-based EHR documents.

Keywords

Medical records - computerized medical records system - reference standards

Full Text

References

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