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Section 1e: Version 3 (V3)
Section 2: Clinical and Administrative Domains
Section 3: Implementation Guides

HL7 Version 3 Implementation Guide: Context-Aware Knowledge Retrieval Application (Infobutton), Release 4

DESCRIPTION

The Context-Aware Knowledge Retrieval (Infobutton) specifications provide a standard mechanism for clinical information systems to request context-specific clinical knowledge form online resources. This has become a widely adopted approach to help clinicians and patients answer their clinical questions that arise in the course of care. These kinds of knowledge retrieval tools have been generally known as "Infobuttons." Based on the clinical context, which includes characteristics of the patient, provider, care setting, and clinical task, infobuttons anticipate clinicians’ and patients’ questions and provide automated inks to resources that may answer those questions. For example, an infobutton displayed in the context of a patient’s problem list may allow a clinician to retrieve treatment guidelines on a specific condition as well as to retrieve relevant patient education material to share with the patient.

 

The Infobutton URL-based Implementation Guide provides a standard mechanism for EHR systems to submit knowledge requests to knowledge resources over the HTTP protocol through a standard using a URL format. Compliance with this specifications is required for EHR certification in the US EHR Meaningful Use Program.

ALTERNATIVE NAMES

HL7 Version 3 Implementation Guide: Context-Aware Knowledge Retrieval Application (Infobutton), Release 4 may also go by the following names or acronyms:

"HL7 Version 3 Implementation Guide: URL-Based Implementations of the Context-Aware Information Retrieval (Infobutton) Domain, Release 3","HL7 Version 3 Implementation Guide: URL-Based Implementations of the Context-Aware Information Retrieval (Infobutton) Domain, Release 4","HL7 Version 3 Implementation Guide: URL-Based Implementations of the Context-Aware Information Retrieval (Infobutton) Domain, Release 2","HL7 Version 3 Implementation Guide: URL-Based Implementations of the Context-Aware Information Retrieval (Infobutton) Domain, Release 1",Infobutton IG,Infobutton

TARGETS

  • Clinical Information System Developers
  • Clinical Knowledge Resource Publishers
  • Clinical Decision Support Developers
  • Healthcare Organizations
  • Clinical and Public Health Laboratories
  • Immunization Registries
  • Quality Reporting Agencies
  •  Standards Development Organizations (SDOs)
  • Payors
  • Pharmaceutical Vendors
  • EHR, PHR Vendors
  • Health Care IT Vendors
  • Clinical Decision Support Systems Vendors
  • Lab Vendors
  • Emergency Services Providers
  • Local and State Departments of Health
  • Medical Imaging Service Providers
  • Healthcare Institutions (hospitals, long term care, home care, mental health)

BENEFITS

  • Enables the retrieval of contextually relevant, patient-specific knowledge resources from within clinical information systems, helping providers and patients answer their clinical questions raised in the course of care
  • Supports patient-centered care by enabling patients to be partners in the decision-making process
  • Promotes evidence-based practices through EHR technology to improve health care quality
  • Required for EHR certification in the US Meaningful Use Program

IMPLEMENTATIONS/CASE STUDIES

DEVELOPMENT BACKGROUND

Clinicians and patients often raise clinical questions in the course of patient care. Research shows that over half of these questions go unanswered and that these unanswered questions have a negative impact on patient care. Online health knowledge resources are widely available. Research has shown that these resources are able to answer most of clinicians’ and patients’ clinical questions. Yet, important barriers hinder a more effective and frequent use of these resources to support decision-making.

An effective solution to lowering those barriers is to integrate knowledge resource access into the patient care workflow through EHR systems. The Context-Aware Knowledge Retrieval (Infobutton) Standard provides a set of specifications that enable this kind if integration in a standard fashion. An 'infobutton' is a point-of-care information retrieval application that automatically generates and sends knowledge requests to on-line health knowledge resources based on a particular CIS context.

This specification focuses on a context-aware knowledge retrieval transaction, primarily on the knowledge request step, representing a context-aware knowledge request event initiated by the EHR (e.g., as a result of a user clicking on an Infobutton).

Currently, e-resources typically provide HTTP-based application program interfaces (API) that can be used by infobuttons. However, these APIs are based on proprietary syntax and vocabularies, requiring the development of custom software for each e-resource that an infobutton needs to link to.

RELATED DOCUMENTS

HL7 Version 3 Implementation Guide: Context-Aware Knowledge Retrieval Application (Infobutton), Release 4

(Download)

ADDITIONAL DETAILS

ANSI-approved in 2014 and available as part of the 2014 Normative Edition for download, or available in the online 2014 Normative Edition for members.

TOPICS

  • Care Provision
  • Decision Support
  • HHSFR

BALLOT TYPES

  • Normative

STATUS DATE

2014-06-13

RESPONSIBLE WORK GROUP

Clinical Decision Support

PRODUCT TYPES

  • ANSI-approved
  • Services

STAKEHOLDERS

  • Clinical and Public Health Laboratories
  • Clinical Decision Support Systems Vendors
  • EHR, PHR Vendors
  • Emergency Services Providers
  • Health Care IT Vendors
  • Healthcare Institutions
  • Immunization Registries
  • Lab Vendors
  • Local and State Departments of Health
  • Medical Imaging Service Providers
  • Payors
  • Pharmaceutical Vendors
  • Quality Reporting Agencies
  • Standards Development Organizations (SDOs)

FAMILY

  • V3

CURRENT STATE

  • Stable

REALM

  • Universal