Knowledge engineering of healthcare applications based on minimalist multilevel models

The long-term maintenance of electronic health records within their original context of information is an ethical requirement that conflicts with the constant need to migrate the information into new systems as they are developed and improved. The specifics of every particular healthcare setting preclude the feasibility of a monolithic health record, and the achievement of interoperability between systems is the primary challenge faced by health informatics researchers. Different multilevel modeling approaches have been studied to deal with this complexity. Nevertheless, the original multilevel modeling specifications are targeted to the development of hospital-based electronic medical records, which adds complexity to the development of simpler purpose-specific applications for extra-hospital healthcare situations. This paper presents the knowledge engineering of a minimalist multilevel model that can be implemented by developers across the broader spectrum of healthcare applications. By using industry standard technologies, this approach enables the wider adoption of interoperable technology for healthcare.