Connecting HL7 with software analysis. A model-based approach

1 Connec ing HL7 wi h so wa e analysis. A model-based app oach.docx Connec ing HL7 wi h so wa e analysis. A model-based app oach A. Ma ínez-Ga cía 1 , M.J. Escalona 2 and C.L. Pa a-Calde ón 1 1 Technological Inno a ion G oup, “Vi gen del Rocío” Uni e si y Hospi al, Se ille, Spain 2 Web Enginee ing and Ea ly Tes ing esea ch g oup, Uni e si y o Se ille, Se ille, Spain Abs ac —HL7 is an in e na ional o ganiza ion ha de ines s anda ds on heal h in o ma ion sys ems. Mos HL7 domain in o ma ion models a e designed acco ding o an own g aphic language. All his domain models a e based in a unique me a- model. In he las yea s, many esea che s ha e conside ed he possibili y o using HL7 in he Model D i en Enginee ing (MDE) con ex . Howe e , we ha e iden i ied a weakness: mos MDE ools do no suppo HL7 own model language, bu all o hem suppo UML s anda d model language. The p esen esea ch a ea aims o connec HL7 wi h so wa e analysis h ough a model-based app oach. Keywo ds— HL7, Model D i en Enginee ing, Me amodel, UML, Model In e change Fo ma . I. I NTRODUCTION HL7 (Heal h Le el 7) [1] is an in e na ional non-p o i o ganiza ion ha p omo es and de ines s anda ds associa ed wi h heal h in o ma ion sys ems. HL7 membe s de elop s anda ds ela ed o exchange and modeling heal h in o ma- ion, wi h he objec i e o suppo ing clinical p ac ice, man- agemen , de elopmen and e alua ion in heal h se ices. A domain model is a concep ual model ha desc ibes concep s ela ed o he p oblem domain [2,3]. I copes wi h concep s linked o he p oblem i sel , ins ead o desc ibing so wa e sys em concep s. HL7 de ines di e en domain models o explain each wo king p oblem o scena io ha has been iden i ied h oughou he p ocess. These concep ual schemes co e all a eas ha ange om he necessa y in o ma ion o de ine sys em messages o clinical documen s hemsel es. Model D i en Enginee ing (MDE) [2,3] is a new pa a- digm ha cen e s on models c ea ion and exploi a ion. Us- ing MDE, we inc ease p oduc i i y since we maximize compa ibili y among sys ems ( hanks o eu iliza ion), sim- pli ying he design p ocess. Models ac as sys ems basis. This way, we can sepa a e applica ions’ concep ual de ini- ion om echnology whe e hey a e execu ed. Fo his pu pose, me amodel is a undamen al concep [2,3] as i desc ibes concep s used in a speci ic model. The e a e many accep ed no a ions o ep esen me amodels. In his case, we use UML class diag ams because hey a e he no a ion used bo h in HL7 and UML. HL7 has a me amodel, called Model In e change Fo ma (MIF) [4], om which we can model all HL7 domain mod- els. HL7 has de eloped i s own g aphic language o model i s models elemen s. Conside ing he wide ange o en i ies ha MIF needs o co e o collec all he necessa y concep s in a gene al heal h sys em, we mus a gue ha MIF is e y ex ensi e and is p esen ed in such an abs ac way ha , al hough i esul s e y in e es ing om he concep ual poin o iew, i can be di icul o manage. Keeping in mind ha HL7 models a e modeled in hei own g aphic language and he ex ension hey p esen o co e all he necessa y en i ies in a heal h sys em, we hink ha designing a so wa e solu ion ha should ul ill a HL7 s anda d is no an easy ask o a so wa e enginee . By con as , so wa e enginee s gene ally know UML and hey can design solu ions by means o his s anda d. Besides, he e a e many MDE ools ha , h ough a UML model, ca y ou a se ies o ac ions au oma ically, such as gene a - ing code o documen a ion. The e o e, wo king o connec HL7 wi h so wa e analy- sis has been ele an o us. Ou long- e m objec i e is ha so wa e enginee s can design hei solu ions using he UML me amodel and, in an au oma ic way, he HL7 me a- model. Consequen ly, we would o e he capabili y o use s anda d MDE ools ha need he p oblem o be modeled wi h UML modeling, apa om simpli ying solu ions de- sign. This a icle, lays he ounda ion o his esea ch a ea ha we ha e jus begun and is mo i a ed by ou p e ious expe- iences, such as he Di aya Specialized A en ion p ojec [5,6]. In ha p ojec , we ca ied ou a p ac ical expe ience in he MDE con ex , consis ing in applying NDT (Na iga ion- al De elopmen Techniques) Web Enginee ing me hodolo- gy [7,8] when pe o ming he equi emen s and he analysis phases in a la ge-scale Web sys em ha aimed o suppo he heal h in o ma ion sys ems in Andalusia. This expe- ience concluded ha MDE could educe he de elopmen ime, as well as de ec s possible e o s o inconsis encies in he ea ly phases. The main a ge o he esea ch p esen ed in his pape is o use he HL7 me amodel in he MDE con ex . Figu e 1 illus a es he gene al p ocess ha we aim o each h ough his esea ch. 2 Connec ing HL7 wi h so wa e analysis. A model-based app oach.docx F ig. 1 Solu ion using he HL7 me amodel in he MDE con ex Seconda y goals: • To p opose a solu ion using he bene i s o UML gene - al p oposed s anda d, he s anda ds p oposed by HL7, and MDE exis ing ools, o he so wa e enginee s wo king in he heal hca e a ea. • To acqui e a mo e comple e knowledge bo h o HL7 and UML me amodels. • To ake ad an age o he po en ial o he exis ing ools ha wo k wi h he new domain models exploi a ion pa- adigm: MDE. This pape is s uc u ed in he ollowing way: A e his in oduc ion, Sec ion II e iews and p esen s p e ious expe- iences. Then, Sec ions III and IV explain he me hod and esul s, espec i ely. Finally, Sec ion V p o ides a discus- sion and Sec ion VI s a es inal conclusions. II. P REVIOUS EXPERIENCES Some membe s o he HL7 communi y ha e conside ed he need o using a modeling s anda d ins ead o he model- ing language ha de ines he domain models gene a ed om MIF. P e ious expe iences ha e s udied he connec ion be- ween HL7 2.X and UML s uc u es [9]. One o he i s s eps o use HL7 in MDE con ex consis s in implemen ing MIF in a compu e -wo kable language. The e a e expe- iences o implemen a ion in compu e -wo kable languages o speci ic domain model, o example HL7 3, bu hey do no co e he HL7 me amodel comple ely [10]. A esea ch eam o he Poly echnic Uni e si y o Ca alu- ña has conduc ed an expe ience in his same line. They iden i ied di icul ies as a esul o he use o HL7 modeling language, and p oposed ansla ing HL7 domain models in o he UML nomencla u e. They e en implemen ed HL7 3 domain model ans o ma ions o UML models [11]. The obs acle hey may ace is ha he global HL7 communi y may no ind i con enien o abandon he o iginal MIF and, consequen ly, hey may ejec he p oposal. No p e ious s udies ha in end o use HL7 in he MDE con ex making a co espondence be ween i s me amodel elemen s and UML me amodel elemen s ha e been ound, wi h he aim ha he so wa e enginee can use UML di ec - ly (being able o ge help om all exis ing UML ools in he MDE con ex ) and wo k au oma ically on he HL7 me amo- del. III. M ATERIALS AND METHODS We a e wo king o each a solu ion in he MDE con ex e alua ing he possibili y o associa ing bo h me amodels, UML and HL7. To ge his goal, i s ly we ha e concep ually analyzed UML and HL7 me amodels and secondly, we ha e s udied heo e ically he co espondence be ween hei elemen s. Below, able 1 shows he esul o his co espondence s udy. T able 1 Co espondence be ween bo h me amodels HL7 Me amo- del Diag am HL7 Me amodel Elemen UML Me amodel Elemen In o ma ion Model Class Class A ibu e P ope y S uc u al_a ibu e Di ec co espon- dence no ound Associa ion Associa ion Composi e_agg ega ion Di ec co espon- dence no ound Gene aliza ion_ ela ionship Gene aliza ion S a e S a e Da a ypes and Vocabula y domain Da a_ ype Type Da a_ ype_ca ego y Di ec co espon- dence no ound A ibu e_ ype TypedElemen Vocabula y_concep Di ec co espon- dence no ound Domain_ e sion Di ec co espon- dence no ound Code_sys em Di ec co espon- dence no ound Coded_ e m Di ec co espon- dence no ound Concep _ ela ionship Di ec co espon- dence no ound 3 Connec ing HL7 wi h so wa e analysis. A model-based app oach.docx Use cases and In e ac ion Ac o Ac o Use_case UseCase Use_case_ ela ionship Di ec edRela ion- ship S o yboa d Di ec co espon- dence no ound In e ac ion In e ac ion Applica ion_ ole Di ec co espon- dence no ound Messages design Design_in o ma ion_model Di ec co espon- dence no ound DIM_class_ ow Di ec co espon- dence no ound DIM_a ibu e_ ow Di ec co espon- dence no ound DIM_ ela ionship_ ow Di ec co espon- dence no ound DIM_s a e_ ow Di ec co espon- dence no ound Hie a chic- al_message_desc ip ion Di ec co espon- dence no ound HMD_class_ ow Di ec co espon- dence no ound HMD_a ibu e_ ow Di ec co espon- dence no ound HMD_ ela ionship_ ow Di ec co espon- dence no ound Message_ ype Di ec co espon- dence no ound As expec ed, he e a e many elemen s in he HL7 me a- model ha we could no iden i y wi h UML (app oxima ely 65% agains 35% ha we could iden i y). This is mainly because UML is a gene al s anda d and HL7 is a speci ic s anda d (heal hca e) ha de ines speci ic elemen s o heal h needs. I is necessa y o seek a solu ion using all HL7 me amo- del concep ual ichness in ou MDE solu ion. Fo his pu - pose, we sugges he use o UML ex ensibili y mechanisms. These ex ensibili y mechanisms enable UML o be p e- sen ed as an open s anda d ha can model aspec s no p e- iously co e ed in i s p incipal and gene al speci ica ion, allowing us o b oaden he no a ion and seman ics o his s anda d. Once heo e ical ounda ions ha e been laid, we will use model ans o ma ion echniques in he MDE con ex , by ensu ing ha he esul s o hese ans o ma ions a e consis- en wi h sou ce models. This ac will educe e o and e o s, o hese echniques allow au oma ing models con- s uc ion and ex gene a ion. IV. R ESULTS This esea ch a ea is cu en ly being add essed on a PhD hesis wo k. E en hough he p esen wo k is s ill in i s ea ly s ages, i has al eady p e ious expe iences, such as he Di- aya Specialized A en ion p ojec men ioned a o e, which cons i u es he i s p e ious expe ience on his esea ch opic. The sho - e m objec i e deals wi h designing a solu ion in he MDE con ex o connec bo h me amodels, UML and HL7, bu ocusing on equi emen s and analysis le els. We would also like o es hese esul s in he NDT me- hodology con ex [7,8]. This me hodology, de eloped mainly in he so wa e p ojec s con ex , has been applied in biosani a y ields ela ed o HL7 and o e s a sui able amewo k o ocus he p ac ical assessmen o ou esul s. In addi ion, we will execu e a p oo o concep in his line in he con ex o OncoIn es p ojec (code PI-0116-2012) by designing i s scena io based on he EHR unc ional model, clinical esea ch p o ile o HL7 [12], and he e o e acco d- ing o he HL7 me amodel unde lying o any model. V. D ISCUSSION HL7 in ol es many s anda ds de elopmen lines and wo king g oups ocused on di e en objec i es. Each HL7 subg oup conduc s he wo k based on a domain model. All hese domain models a e based on he same me amodel. We ind i in e es ing o lead ou wo k o hese lines be- low, once he co espondence be ween UML and HL7 me- amodels has been s udied and he ans o ma ion be ween models has been implemen ed: • To design he so wa e sys ems models by means o he UML s anda d and ob ain he HL7 co espondence au- oma ically. The lea ning cu e o so wa e enginee s, who would like o design hese sys ems in acco dance wi h HL7, would be sho e as hey would model di ec - ly in UML. Mos so wa e enginee s know UML, since i is he mos commonly used concep ual model lan- guage. • To use UML-based ools. The e a e lo s o UML-based ools, bo h in open-sou ce and p i a e ma ke s ha al- low designing a sys em wi h UML. Addi ionally, he e a e lo s o ools ha can use UML diag ams o make easie so wa e enginee s wo k, such as NDT [7,8]. • To align, in a simple way, he concep s used in HL7 models wi h a sys em o concep s in a heal h scena io: ISO 13940. S udying he co espondence be ween con- cep s used in he HL7 me amodel is he only equisi e o align all HL7 models wi h a s anda d sys em o con- cep s, since all HL7 models a e based on he same me- amodel. 4 Connec ing HL7 wi h so wa e analysis. A model-based app oach.docx • To ce i y he compliance o HL7 domain models wi h UML in o ma ion sys ems designed models. Once UML models ha e been au oma ically ans o med in o HL7 models, a ool ha epo s on e o s ound will be designed. Thanks o Model- o-Model ans o ma ion (M2M), we will be able o alida e models, as we will speci y he me amodel wi h which he sou ce model mus comply. I may be in e es ing o HL7 o ha e a ool ha can alida e a UML equi emen model, which should include he sys em equi emen s o HL7 unc- ional model, in o de o ini ia e a alida ion p ocess o he exis ing sys ems. Mo eo e , ou esea ch mus ace up a challenge: We ex- pec ha so wa e enginee s can design sys ems using UML, and align hem au oma ically wi h HL7 me amodel. Ne e heless, i aises he ollowing ques ion: Wha would happen, i we wan ed hem o be aligned wi h a speci ic HL7 model as, o example, RIM? We will ha e o ind a solu ion o his challenge, and we may ge i by aligning wi h HL7 De elopmen F amewo k (HDF). VI. C ONCLUSIONS Domain models p oposed by HL7 s anda ds a e e y in- e es ing om a concep ual poin o iew despi e hey a e e y complex. Fo his eason, so wa e enginee s who y o design sys ems based on hese s anda ds may ind some di icul ies when handling hem, oge he wi h a long lea n- ing cu e. Using HL7 s anda d in he MDE con ex emains an un- explo ed a ea, om which many bene i s can be ob ained as well as many esea ch a eas p o iding so wa e enginee s, who y o design heal h in o ma ion sys ems wi h a solid suppo . A CKNOWLEDGMENT This esea ch p ojec has been suppo ed by he Tempos p ojec (code TIN2010-20057-C03-02), he NDTQ- F amewo k (code TIC-5789), he “Ca los III” Heal h Ins i- u e wi hin he call S a egic Help in Heal h (PITeS p ojec , code PI09/90518) and RETICS Inno a ion in Heal hca e Technology call (code RD09/0077/00025). R EFERENCES 1. HL7 o icial web page a h p://www.hl7.o g/ 2. Schmid DC (2006) Model-D i en Enginee ing. IEEE Compu e 39(2):25-31 DOI 10.1109/MC.2006.58 3. Van De S ae en R, Mens T, Van Baelen S (2009) Challenges in Model-D i en So wa e Enginee ing. Models in So wa e Enginee - ing 5421:35-47 DOI 10.1007/978-3-642-01648-6_4 4. Sp onk R, Ringholm C (2010) The HL7 MIF - Model In e change Fo ma . A h p://www. ingholm.com/docs/03060_en_HL7_MIF.h m 5. 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O iz D, Villegas A, Sancho MR, Oli e A, Vilal a J (2011) Au oma ic ans o ma ion o HL7 3 in o ma ion models in o equi alen UML models. HL7 Spain Technical Repo . 12. HL7 EHR Clinical Resea ch Func ional P o ile (CRFP), Release 1 a h p://www.hl7.o g/implemen /s anda ds/p oduc _b ie .c m?p oduc _i d=16 Au ho : Alicia Ma ínez-Ga cía Ins i u e: “Vi gen del Rocío” Uni e si y Hospi al S ee : Manuel Siu o A enue Ci y: Se ille Coun y: Spain Email: alicia.ma inez.ex s@jun adeandalucia.es