Dear All The openEHR design team have, over many years, decided to separate the demographic information from the EHR data. Advantages are, amongst others: 1. Security - you need access to both sets of data to know about an individual 2. Normalisation - you can find people even though they have moved, changed their name etc 3. Many health environments have developed demographic services which people want to keep.
The EHR model has quite different classes than the EHR model - and the archetypes are therefore different. The demographic server in an openEHR environment provides identifying, contact and credentialling information about parties. Hope this is helpful...Sam > Hi, > > What is the definition, scope, function of the concept: > " demographic server" > in the context of OPENEHR? > > Thomas, Sam, Dipak: HELP! > > Gerard > > -- <private> -- > Gerard Freriks, arts > Huigsloterdijk 378 > 2158 LR Buitenkaag > The Netherlands > > +31 252 544896 > +31 654 792800 > On 06 Mar 2005, at 19:50, lakewood at copper.net wrote: > > Hi Gerard, > > My understanding is that demographic services collect, organize and > process the > characteristics of a 'population'. Presuming this, then I am a > member of a large number > of 'populations' regardless of intent. Narrowed to Healthcare the > number of > 'populations' shrinks but not to one. > > Given the fact that modern 'populations' are not 'stationary' it > appears that there are > many of us that can claim or hold membership in multiple Healthcare > 'populations' > which themselves are subject to new additions, e.g., those > genetically sensitive to > drugs of a particlular family. > > Identifying the indiviudal may have to be a separate operation. > Identifying whether the individual > is a member of a 'population', or 'populations's a subsequent task. > > A 'demographic server' is likely to be specific and limited in scope > to address > 'super populations', e.g., persons residing within the boundaries of > a specific geographical > region, e.g., Africa. A 'network' of such server could provide > additional coverage. > > Since one can apply a variety of rules to the specification of an > individual 'population', > the 'rules' become significant especially where the 'rules' are > chosen to affect results, > all Diabetes Patients in the London area. Due to a number of reasons > one may not be able > to claim that London-area Diabetes Patients are the same as those in > other regions, and, of course, that the Healthcare systems are the > same or equivalent. > > Foundational is 'personal identification'. Without it a 'demographic > server' is handicapped. > Hence a good test for the server is a seriously injured person > arriving at a Healthcare > facility unable to communicate with no other form of identification. > > Since there are many other 'issues' and 'factors' important to the > design, development and > deployment of a 'demographic server' one may have to accept > discussions that attempt > to integrate topics. They are valuable R&D efforts are > results-oriented expectations are > very likely to increase quickly. > > Regards! > > -Thomas Clark > > BTW: I tried to avoid bringing 'Public Health' into a discussion > about 'demographic servers'. > That would have been lengthy! > - If you have any questions about using this list, please send a message to d.lloyd at openehr.org
