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Minoru Development Corporation Announce DocScope Open Source Project 

Healthcare standards and open source application development tools are both converging on XML technology for the representation of records, transactions, and messages.

This creates a new opportunity to assemble healthcare record systems from readily available open source XML components. These components are not healthcare specific and are already available, or becoming available in open source form. We plan to integrate these components providing guidance and examples of their application to healthcare

DocScope will be a free medical information tool that is as natural and easy for physicians to use as the spreadsheet is for accountants.

The tool will enable physicians to:

• view standard medical records
• create custom views of the information to match personal needs
• structure and organize this information
• include rich text and multimedia components into the medical record
• create personal forms, templates, and boilerplate text for data entry
• sequence data entry, analysis, and viewing actions
• add customized behaviour through high-level scripts
• extend the classes of information stored
• integrate the record with data sources and software agents
• securely access the information anywhere, anytime, including mobile devices

We plan to eventually operate the project bilingually in English and French using automated translation tools and manual translation. While automated tools are far from perfect, we hope that this will enables wider participation.

For now, selected documents are available in French.

The project stems from discussions on the OpenHealth list and private discussions with those interested in the application of XML to healthcare. Minoru Development Corporation is making this project public to gather together everyone with an interest in advancing these ideas in an open source forum. We feel that this project could be a source for ideas and common approaches in a number of specific open source projects, including existing and future initiatives. All participants can benefit from an open exchange of ideas.

We are seeking participants of all types:

• Potential users of this technology
• Potential development partners
• Funding agencies that may be interested in advancing open source healthcare
• Other, more specific, projects that benefit from the technology and concepts desribed here.

Minoru's current level of commitment is to host this web site and the associated discussion forums. We produced the DocScope vision statement and will amend it as discussion proceeds. We are using the forum to educate ourselves and others about the technology and healthcare standards involved. We are actively presenting this concept as widely as possible to gather a critical mass of support that can take the project beyond the discussion and exploratory stage

DocScope
Minoru Development Corporation
OpenHealth Mailing List