Personal tools
You are here: Home → IdeaFactory → URLs for Electronic Health Records
 

URLs for Electronic Health Records

Abstract

 

Why ReST is Good for Health Records

Before explaining how URLs might be used as Electronic Health Records, it is vital to understand how to use them generically. URLs are Uniform Resource Locators, a system for identifying any resource on the Internet. Specifically the standard for web pages that uniquely identifies any resource that can be seen or obtained through a web browser is a string variable that begins with either http:// or https://. This method of transmitting standardized data is commonly known as ReST or ReSTful, essentially the storage and exchange formats are collapsed into one thing. Unlike any other standards, Web URLs can provide all of the following:
  • capable of uniquely identifying any resource uniquely even among distributed creators, 
  • can provide a human readable version in web browsers, 
  • is already an accepted XML Schema datatype (provides a simple validation test built into many systems already), 
  • is a simple link from any other web document (especially in HTML),
  • allows for a web browser and XML compliant simple string extension to point to fragments of larger documents,
  • can be used for non-standard document types including binary formats,
  • natively recorded in web server logs allowing for simpler and more conclusive audit capabilities,
  • and work just as well as metadata than any other system (may be better).

 

Often an Ignored Side Effect of Systems, URLs Can Be the Backbone of Them

Many new systems data systems provide web views of records, however, the URL is an after effect of a content management system. Sometimes these URL include SQL data calls that both creates security holes and reduces the usability and permanence of the URLs generated. Understanding that URLs need to be permanent and used for electronic health records will allow for each institution to create simpler and more useful URLs, sometimes by just appending the internal numbering system to a domain. And in the distributed model, all of the URLs from different institutions can be used as unique identifiers in any database with a well understood datatype.


Flexible, Simplified & Well Known Security Models,  Etc. 

Important Features
  • Lightweight and simple distributed model for multi-institution parties to create interoperable EHRs.
  • By appending fragment identifiers (e.g. https://institution.med/ehr/db456789#xray.3 ), it would be possible to have a simple, easy to use and store sub-records.
  • By having a single URL without embedded SQL calls, security and authentication would be simpler.
    • One entry point to protect.
    • Built in audit features that do not expose data held in the documents.
    • Simpler transaction records that do not expose data.
    • Well understood masking system (using anonymous or masked redirect URLs).
    • With standardized fragment identifiers and masking URLs, easier to pull sub-records for medical trials.
  • Very simple to access records with different formats if necessary (linking to binary large objects, old records in PDF or other formats).
  • With XHTML or XSLT, human readable without proprietary systems.
  • And, perhaps most importantly, compatible with other URL for naming systems. For example, using URLs for laws and regulations that can be embedded within the EHRs to help with legal compliance (see: BLT methodology).

 

Document Actions