The document provides an overview of the OpenEHR framework, which is designed for representing health information through a multi-level modeling approach and archetypes. OpenEHR, established in 2001, emphasizes the separation of clinical and technical domains and offers tools for modeling, governance, and repository management. The framework is supported by an international community and is extensively used in research to create person-centered and computable health records.

1. Clinical modelling with
openEHR Archetypes
Koray Atalag, MD, PhD, FACHI
Senior Research Fellow (ABI & NIHI)
k.atalag@auckland.ac.nz

2. Outline
• What is openEHR?
• Multi-level Modelling
• Archetypes & Templates
• Setting Semantics
• Tooling – modelling & repository/governance

3.  Open source specs & software for representing health
information and person-centric records
– Based on 20 years of international research, including Good European
Health Record Project (GEHR)
– Superset of ISO/CEN 13606 EHR standard
 Not-for-profit organisation - established in 2001
www.openEHR.org
 Extensively used in research
 Separation of clinical
and technical worlds
• Big international community
• Online models repository
http://openehr.org/ckm

4. Multi-Level Modelling

5. Reference Model
Logical building blocks of EHR
Compositions
EHR
Folders
Sections
Clusters
Elements
Data values
Entries
 Lifelong
 Longitudinal
 Versioned
 Comprehensive
 Computable
 Secure
 Sharable

6. RM: Text Data Type

7. 7
RM:
Quantity
Data
Type
Units:
* Units part of RM
not domain model

8. Archetypes?
• Formal constraints on Reference Model Classes
– Structural constraints: List, table, tree
– What labels can be used?
– What data types can be used?
– What values are allowed for these data types?
– How many times a data item can exist?
– Whether a particular data item is mandatory
– Whether a selection is involved from a number of
items/values
• Formal semantics via terminology bindings
• Meta-data and language translations

9. Anatomy of an
Archetype

11. 11

12. 12

13. Archetype EditorAll about
tooling mate!

14. Example: NZ
Cardiac
Registry
14
Screenshot of openEHR Template from a tool

15. Semantics in openEHR
• Whole-of-model meta-data:
– Description, concept references (terminology/ontology), purpose,
use, misuse, provenance, translations
• Item level semantics
– Trees/Clusters (Structure)
– Leaf nodes (Data Elements)
Formally: different types of terminology bindings:
1) linking an item to external terminology/ontology for the
purpose of defining its real-world meaning
2) Linking data element values to external terminology (e.g. a
RefSet or terminology query)
• Instance level semantic annotations – applies to
actual data collected

16. Blood Pressure Measurement
mindmap representation of openEHR Archetype
1) Linking items to SNOMED to define clinical meaning

17. NZ Cardiac Registry: Medication
2) Linking data element values to external terminology (NZULM)

18. RM: Text Data Type Instance level
semantic annotations

19. 19
OnlineModelRepository

20. 20

21. 21

22. 22