Implementing health care systems using XML standards

Most healthcare data is narrative text and often not accessible and easy to find at the clinical workstation. XML related standards (XML schema, XForms, XSL, Topic Maps, etc.) provide an infrastructure that might change the situation. Yet, it is up to the application developers to combine the given standards and tools into a running system. The cost of development is often underestimated and may explain the absence of comprehensive XML applications. Our goal is the clinical application of these standards. We have, therefore, implemented the idea of “plug-and-play XML”, i.e. the development of new applications by means of XML standards. This paper will communicate our experience using such an approach at the example of a clinical drug information system.