Workshop OSEHC 2009 Abstracts

Full Papers Short Papers
Full Papers
Paper Nr: 2
Title:

Writing open source SunXACML access control in Electronic Health Record with acceptable performances

Authors:

Snezana Sucurovic and Dejan Simic
Abstract: OASIS is a non–for-profit consortium that drives the development convergence and adoption of open standards for the global information society. It involves more than 600 organizations and individuals as well as IT leaders Sun, Microsoft, IBM and Oracle. One of it’s standard is XACML which appears a few years ago and now there are about 150 000 hits on Google. XACML (eXtensible Access Control Markup Language) is not technology related. Sun published in 2004 open source Sun XACML which is in compliance with XACML 1.0. specification and now worked to be in compliance with XACML 2.0. The heart of XACML are attributes values of defined type and name that is to be attached to a subject, a resource, an action and an environment in which subject request action on resource. On that way XACML is to replace Role Based Access Control which dominated for years. The paper examines performances in CEN 13 606 and ISO 22 600 based healthcare system which use XACML for access control.
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Paper Nr: 7
Title:

Commercial Open Source RIS/PACS: The ClearCanvas Experience
Authors:

Norman Young, Clinton Chau and John Adziovsky
Abstract: ClearCanvas, an open source, healthcare informatics company is currently developing an open source RIS/PACS for a large Canadian hospital. The experience thus far has shown that an emphasis on application usability, as well as professional service and support are necessary for enhancing the credibility of open source healthcare solutions. Supporting such initiatives requires a solid business model that can generate the needed revenue. A model being explored draws on multiple revenue streams, including service contracts and value added features, from both the founding organization and commercial members of the ecosystem.
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Paper Nr: 9
Title:

Free and Open Source in Healthcare: Enough waste

Authors:

Nuno Rua
Abstract: The process of Free and Open Source Software development is explained and compared with Proprietary Software development. The requirements and difficulties of implementing computer information systems in Healthcare environments is discussed, and some Free and Open Source Software projects in the area are cited. Some advantages of F/OSS over proprietary software for healthcare informatics environments are presented and measures to accelerate F/OSS adoption are suggested.
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Paper Nr: 10
Title:

Repositories of reusable auxological (growth) algorithms for eHealth
Authors:

Petr Lesny, Krystof Slaby, Jan Vejvalka, Hana Krasnicanova and Tomas Holecek
Abstract: The auxological (growth) data are suitable for being processed algorithmically by specialized software. Increasing complexity of the pediatric auxology requires the development of algorithm repositories, which allow the users to select and utilize appropriate algorithms. There are many attempts to build such repositories, however their usage is limited. In order to create the modern repository of algorithms (not limited to the pediatric auxology), we have postulated the following key principles: strong philosophical background, explicit description of the semantic paradigm and its binding to the current sci-entific paradigm, quality management, platform independency and interopera-bility and trust management. Based on these principles, we have developed and validated the indicator ontology model with strong documentation quality man-agement, implemented as web services under the open source license model. The reference implementation of the algorithm repository operates on the intra-net of the Faculty hospital in Prague Motol.
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Paper Nr: 12
Title:

Building the Free/libre open source health care (FLOSS-HC) Community - A strategy for pushing free/libre open source in European health care
Authors:

Thomas Karopka
Abstract: Free/Libre Open Source Software (FLOSS) is both a process of software development and a method of licensing. Although FLOSS plays a significant role in several market areas, the impact in the health care arena is still limited. This is mainly due to the special requirements and the different circum-stances when compared to other market areas. However, FLOSS is thought to be one of the most effective means to overcome the fragmentation in the health care sector and provide a basis for more efficient, timely and cost effective health care provision. In this position paper I will give a short overview of FLOSS applications in the health care sector, I will briefly discuss the special challenges and the identified barriers that need to be overcome to push FLOSS in health care. I will then describe a possible strategy that may help in improv-ing the situation for FLOSS in European health care.
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Paper Nr: 13
Title:

Concept matching between openEHR and SONHO
Authors:

Ricardo J. Cruz-Correia, Rong Chen and Carla Ávila
Abstract: SONHO is the dominant Information System (IS) in hospitals in Portugal. Currently it is seriously compromised due to its outdated infrastructure, and hospitals seek a solution enabled data migration to new ISs. OpenEHR is an open standard that describes the management and storage, retrieval and exchange of health data in electronic health records. The aim of this work is to study how to create an application interface to SONHO implemented according to the openEHR standard. The first phase of this work was to extract the demo-graphic concepts existing on SONHO. The second phase was to select the proper openEHR structure holding the patient demographic information. The third phase was to match both concepts aiming to identify omissions in openEHR archetypes. 41 concepts were found in SONHO, and 12 in openEHR person demographics archetype. From the 41 different SONHO concepts, 14 concepts were mapped to a openEHR concept and 27 are missing. From the 12 concepts found in the openEHR person demographics 3 are missing in SONHO. We claim that many important SONHO concepts are still missing in the openEHR person demographics archetype (e.g. patient identification numbers). To build a useful interface the used archetype must include the missing con-cepts, which leads to the need of creating a new demographics archetype.
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Paper Nr: 14
Title:

MediGrid – facilitating semantic-based processing of biomedical data and knowledge
Authors:

Jan Vejvalka, Petr Lesny, Helena Bouzková, Krystof Slaby, Adéla Jarolímková and Tomas Holecek
Abstract: New ICT approaches promise better support to the traditional ways that medicine handles information. Exploring ways to provide this support, we formulated the principles of he MediGrid: (1) Data processed by biomedical algorithms are (following the philosophical tradition of phenomenology) indicators that can be transformed into other indicators. (2) Data and algorithms can be shared across conceptual domains if documented semantic links exist to support such interconnection. The need of explicit and detailed documentation of semantics leads to the requirement of good documentation of computer procedures that implement the biomedical knowledge contained in scientifically accepted algorithms. A proof-of-concept implementation of a system based on these principles has been published on Sourceforge.
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Paper Nr: 15
Title:

OPEN SOURCE: A LEVER FOR ENHANCING OPPORTUNITIES OF HEALTHCARE INFORMATION SYSTEMS. An Italian case study.
Authors:

Emanuele Baj, Paolo Locatelli, Nicola Restifo, Stefano Gatti, Gianni Origgi and Silvia Bragagia
Abstract: Open source is a still unexploited chance for healthcare organizations and technology providers to answer to a growing demand for innovation and to join economical benefits with reliability and a new form of managing hospital information systems. This article will present the case of the web enterprise clinical portal developed by the Niguarda hospital (Italy) with the support of Fondazione Politecnico di Milano, in order to enable a paperless environment for clinical and administrative activities in the ward. Niguarda’s strong open source strategy, as well as organizational and technological matters will be described. This represents also one rare case of reuse in the healthcare sector, as the system’s porting is now taking place in another hospital, with other institutions evaluating this option.
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Short Papers
Paper Nr: 6
Title:

PESCA: Developing an Open Source Platform to Bring eHealth to Latin America and the Caribbean
Authors:

David Santo Orcero, David Santo Orcero, Carlos L. Sanchez, Miguel Romero-Cuevas, Diego López, Maria Jesús Rubia, Sergio Ruiz, Francisco Jose Alcazar Martin, Pedro García-Fortea, Gonzalo Aranda, Gonzalo Aranda, Julio Lorca and Julio Lorca
Abstract: Nowadays the society needs to communicate and the technologies are revolutionizing the information systems, especially for the health; where an effective use of the technologies is used to favor the needs of the persons. These technologies can contribute to the development of the local economies. Open source software (OSS) can be an useful strategy to bring information and communication technologies to developing countries. However, specially in Latin America and the Caribbean, there are some barriers in adopting OSS for health: the need for open standards, heterogeneous OSS developed without normalization and metrics, English predominance as top OSS language, lack of initiatives to evaluate existing health OSS and needs for quality control and functional validation. The Open Source Platform for eHealth (PESCA) has been designed as a set of interoperable modules that can solve either: simple problems on health management and communication in primary care or complex problems in healthcare systems, including telehealth communications between heterogeneous institutions.
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