A unified component-based data-driven framework to support interoperability in the healthcare systems

Abstract

Healthcare organizations must urgently prioritize interoperability to enhance the quality of care they provide. However, achieving this collaboration comes with numerous challenges, including differing approaches, data formats, and standards, as well as concerns about privacy, security, technical complexity, and legal and regulatory issues. To tackle these challenges, we determined a set of interoperability solutions. We also developed a comprehensive, component-based, data-driven framework for healthcare systems. Our study's approach involved three main steps: first, conducting a literature review to gather interoperability requirements and solutions from online databases and grey literature; second, carrying out a qualitative study to develop a framework based on the review results and focus group discussions; and third, using the Delphi method to validate the framework with experts. We extracted information from 36 articles during the screening and assessment process. Based on the proposed framework, we organized the identified themes into various categories, including architecture, architecture components, standards, platforms, policies, data sources, consumers, applications, level of interoperability, healthcare facilities, and considerations. Experts believe that establishing a comprehensive architecture for launching interoperability between health information systems can greatly facilitate this process. All framework components (totaling 197) received unanimous approval. The landscape of healthcare delivery is shifting from a focus on diseases to a patient-centered, data-driven approach. There is a growing demand for personalized healthcare systems, which necessitates increased interoperability among all healthcare stakeholders, particularly when dealing with diverse types of data. Our framework is designed to facilitate the implementation of various types of interoperability in healthcare systems.