Occupational health assessment summary designed for semantic interoperability

Abstract

BackgroundGeopolitical and economic crises force a growing number of people to leave their countries and search better employment opportunities abroad. Meanwhile, the highly competitive labor market provides opportunities for employees to change workplaces and job positions. Health assessment data collected during the occupational history is an essential resource for developing efficient occupational disease prevention strategies as well as for ensuring the physical and psychological well-being of newly appointed workers. The diversity in data representation is source for interoperability problems that are insufficiently explored in the existing literature. ObjectivesThis research aims to design a worker’s occupational health assessment summary (OHAS) dataset that satisfies the requirements of an international standard for semantic interoperability in the use case for exchanging extracts of such data. The focus is on the need for a common OHAS standard at EU level allowing seamless exchange of OHAS at both cross-border and at the worker’s country of origin level. ResultsThis paper proposes a novelty systematic approach ensuring semantic interoperability in the exchange of OHAS. Two use cases are explored in terms of UML sequence diagram. The OHAS dataset reflects common data requirements established in the national legislation of EU countries. Finally, an EN 13606 archetype of OHAS is designed by satisfying the requirements for semantic interoperability in the exchange of clinical data. Semantic interoperability of OHAS is demonstrated with realistic use case data. ConclusionsThe designed static, non-volatile and reusable information model of OHAS developed in this paper allows to create EN 13606 archetype instances that are valid with respect to the Reference model and the datatypes of this standard. Thus, basic activities in the OHAS use case can be implemented in software, for example, by means of a native XML database as well as integrated into existing information systems.