Data Exchnage Interoprability Framework for Laboratory Information System (Lis) and Electronic Health Record (Ehr) of Two Hospitals in Addis Ababa
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Date
2013-06
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Addis Ababa University
Abstract
Background: eHealth applications are key to facilitate the health care delivery by increasing access and quality. However, those applications are vary in design and structure. Interoperability between those applications is important that creates a bridge and facilitates the data exchange between two different eHealth applications. In Ethiopian hospitals, eHealth applications are characterized by small-scale in size with greater duplication of efforts. For instance, one of the gap has been the integration of applications such as Laboratory information system (LIS) and Electronic Health Record (EHR) due to limited interoperability in laboratory data exchange between these applications in the Hospitals.
Objectives: The objective of this study is to assess the existing LIS and EHR for data exchange interoperability and identify challenges with the view to explore the possibility of proposing and developing data exchange interoperability framework.
Methodology: In this study, an attempt is made to apply qualitative research method to explore the status of e-Health applications (LIS and EHR). Interviews were used tool for data collection. We have also collect the criteria from the literature on LIS and EHR application functionality testing. Finally, then constructive method helped for design data exchange interoperability framework on eHealth applications in the case of LIS and EHR. We used NVivo-10 software for coding the interview and analyze the data.
Results: In this study, lacks of interoperability and coordination cause for fragmentation of systems and data redundancy on eHealth applications which are the main challenges in the Hospitals. In order to overcome the data exchange interoperability problems in the Hospitals, the researcher suggested data exchange interoperability framework between LIS and EHR. The framework is tested by the developers and decision makers. The proposed and designed framework is encouraging for future change.
Conclusion: the study was designed to explore the current status of eHealth applications in the selected case. The investigator shown that there have been challenges in terms of data exchange interoperability, integration and coordination of the systems. The proposed data exchange interoperability framework is a possible solution to address the challenges
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eHealth applications are key to facilitate the health