48 PART II Prerequisites for an HCM
Daily work with documents and images has shown that it can be useful to maintain
a type of data not only in its standard format, but also in an alternative format,
e.g. if a radiological image, which is usually in a DICOM format, needs to be
converted into a diagnostic document. For this purpose, the image must also be
available in a JPEG format. It is therefore helpful if the »format harmonization«
component can generate more than one format from a file. If such processes occur
regularly or more often, you should ensure that the component can perform
this task automatically.
Good Plan: Classification of Data
The classification of data ensures that all therapy-relevant information can be
found quickly, reliably and in its entirety (if you want to know more, go back to
Chapter 2). In the case of paper-based files, this works on the basis of a previously
defined filing plan that specifies structured registers within the file.
This advantage of the paper file must not be lost in the digital world, otherwise
the users will revolt. That’s why digital data has to be classified according to a defined
filing plan.
Paper-based filing plans have a significant disadvantage over digital files: documents
can only be sorted into a single register. Digital filing plans, on the other
hand, allow documents to be classified using several characteristics.
Wouldn’t it be nice to find the result of a CT examination both under
the category »Findings« and under the category »CT« instead of
having to search all findings in the register to find the CT result? Use
this advantage when converting to digital filing plans! The development
of a digital filing plan should be at the top of your priority list if
you want to delve into the world of digital files.
A really good HCM system automatically classifies the incoming data according
to the filing plan – thanks to the provided metadata. The automatism includes
managing the details of the filing plan and making them available to other systems.
This process becomes really exciting when several hospitals or even all
healthcare
institutions in a country access a single, standards-based filing plan.
However, before you assume medical world domination with your digital filing
plan, you first have to sweep your own doorstep.