[Modelling of radiological services in the context of a hospital information system: does the DICOM standard meet the requirements?].

PROBLEM:The data model given in the DICOM standard is examined under the aspect of system integration. Semantic properties of the IODs (information object definitions) and their relationships are investigated. METHOD:Starting from the entities defined in Part 3 of the DICOM standard, we explored how the classes defined there can be integrated into a common data model of the electronic patient record implemented by the HIS (Hospital Information System). Based on the IODs we investigated the definitions and semantics of entities being relevant for structured recording of image data. RESULTS:Because semantic definitions are incomplete, a proposal is made for the core domain of structured radiologic service recording. Its definition of semantics goes beyond the application domain of radiologic imaging to avoid structural conflicts during HIS/RIS/PACS integration. Differentiation between treatment and billing provides an independent temporal mapping of services concerning medical and billing aspects. Two groups of radiologic services are distinguished: radiologic imaging and additional services. CONCLUSION:The incomplete definition of IOD semantics leads to potential conflicts during system integration. Complete covering of this topic is necessary for implementation of the electronic patient record.