At 21:39 +0000 on 18-12-1996, Mr. C. B. Knox wrote:
> The earlier discussion was generating some light, alas replaced by heat.
> At the risk of picking the scab, from a user requirement perpsective I
> wondered whether both sides were right. ie, sometimes a GP would be
> happy to only look at a lab result, other times he'd want to take a copy
> of it to incorporate into the patient's record. An XRay image is an
> obvious if rare example of the former.
>
> So, web based remote access for look-at stuff. EDIFACT inappropriate.
> Something else for taking a copy. What?
>
> Guiding criteria should include simplicity and cost. Simplest and
> cheapest thing I can think of is:
> - GP, having looked at result, clicks YES to DO YOU WANT A COPY? box
> (this could be more focused, ie GP clicks on results of interest)
> - at lab end a template MS Access form gets its structured and waiting
> fields filled up relevant data. - form is emailed to GP as an attachment
> to an MS Mail SMTP email.
> - GP system extracts data from form and incorporates into waiting fields,
> or simply stores the form attached to the patient's record. Is
> this rocket science? Assuming scrambling and unscrambling at either end,
> only problem I see other than a few week's work is that poor old Trust
> system has to maintain a protocol for each and every GP system it is
> expected to communicate with. But given that the great bulk of
> communication is local and pretty invariant, shouldn't be a problem.
>
> As for IoS and Registration, what's wrong with the most tried, tested,
> and cheapest methods in the world: file transfer and batch processing.
> Any GP system can be induced to output a structured file routinely or on
> demand. It could then be sent over NHSnet virtually free via Internet
> Protocol using FTP and processed at the other end in batch.
>
> Comments? Bear in mind my odd position: neither user nor tekkie. Danger
> of getting each wrong :-< but well able to recognise significant lack of
> startling success with centre-led projects and x400/ EDIFACT approach.
>
You will have a problem if the E-mail with the result isn't formatted in
exactly the same way on all locations, applications.
If we standardise the format of the E-mail such that all systems are able
to read it, then we will have the perfect system. The format can be applied
via SGML using markup/tags. We need the same collection of tags and with a
standard meaning.
The current Internet Browsers handle HTML markup tags for presenting
information.
What we need are browsers which can handle SGML. SGML is the Superset of HTML.
The firm SOftQuad has a Plug-in for Browsers to handle SGML documents. The
plug-in is FREE!
So there is perfect, enabeling, cheap technology.
The only thing is to think, think again, and make the standard collection
of SGML tags to be used in medicine.
Haven't I told you this before?
Greetings
Gerard Freriks,huisarts, MD
C. Sterrenburgstr 54
3151JG Hoek van Holland
the Netherlands Telephone: (+31) (0)174-384296/ Fax: -386249
Mobile : (+31) (0)6-54792800
ARS LONGA, VITA BREVIS
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