Reporting System for Endoscopy Using XML

Abstract

 Cooperation between medical facilities in use of computer networks is expected to become popular in the future, because efficient usage of medical resources is important. For electrical exchange of medical information between hospitals, it is necessary to standardize the items and structure of such information. In Japan, however, standardization of exchange of medical information is still insufficient. Few hospitals actually exchange their medical information with other hospitals.

 In this paper, we describe a reporting system for endoscopic examination using XML (Extensible Markup Language) data-description language. This system, which is under construction, is designed for exchange of information on results of endoscopic examination between departments and between hospitals. Because both standardization of endoscopic terms and clarification of the structure of information are attempted in this system, information can be mutually utilized by differentsystems and re-used for making medical decisions and statistical analysis.