RE: OpenMRS uses XForms

Steven,

One of our primary goals with OpenMRS, was to provide a means for system
administrators to create/design forms and then use them to collect data
into the electronic medical record without having to do any programming
(HTML or Java) -- what we often call "data-driven forms."  Our data
model is dictionary-based, so new medical concepts can be added to the
system simply by defining the new content; however, form design and
rendering is much trickier.  In 2004, the best option we could find for
relatively simple form design and deployment was Microsoft's InfoPath. 
While InfoPath does not use XForms, it is XML-based and provided a great
starting point for us -- re-affirming the benefits of MVC design, etc. 
As OpenMRS has grown, we've begun looking for (preferably open source)
data-driven form alternatives to InfoPath.

We see XForms as one of our best chances to realize data-driven forms in
an open source solution.  Even without a specific solution, the effort
you all have put into the XForms specification is a tremendous help in
guiding us as we expand our form model.  For that alone, we owe a great
thanks to the XForms community.

To date, we have a bright, young Ugandan named Daniel Kayiwa who created
an OpenMRS module that adapts our InfoPath solution to render our forms
as XForms documents (a work in progress).  We also have a number of
folks interested in data collection through mobile devices that are
using XForms to for those forms.  And, finally, as I've mentioned, we
are in the process of expanding our notion of forms within OpenMRS and
are looking to the XForms specification as a guide

One of the challenges for us has been finding an open source,
XForms-based, tool (or combination of tools) that provides both the
WYSIWYG design and rendering of complex forms at a level at or above
InfoPath's abilities.  Of course, we know it's just a matter of
time...or perhaps we haven't heard of it yet.

We're honored to have caught the eye of the XForms community and would
be pleased to take your guidance on potential tools or directions that
would help us realize our dream of data-driven forms within OpenMRS.

Cheers,

-Burke
 On behalf of the OpenMRS Community


"Open Medical Record System (OpenMRS) formed in 2004 as a open source  
medical record system framework for developing countries — a tide which  
rises all ships.
....
To date, OpenMRS has been implemented in several African countries,  
including South Africa, Kenya, Rwanda, Lesotho, Zimbabwe, Mozambique,  
Uganda, and Tanzania. This work is supported in part by organizations
such  
as the World Health Organization (WHO), the Centers for Disease Control  
(CDC), The Rockefeller Foundation, and the President's Emergency Plan
for  
AIDS Relief (PEPFAR)."

http://openmrs.org/wiki/OpenMRS_Overview

Apparently OpenMRS uses XForms.

I expect some of you knew that already.

Anyone want to tell us about it?

Steven

Received on Friday, 4 April 2008 09:53:00 UTC