CIMI Glossary
1st January 2012
A
Term
Archetype
Abbreviation
-
Definition
An archetype is a re-usable, formal model of a domain
concept. An archetype is expressed as a computable set of
constraint statements, on an underlying reference model
(URM). Concepts that can be modelled using archetypes
include weight measurement, blood pressure, microbiology
results, discharge referral, prescription, diagnosis. CIMI
archetypes will be represented as an instance of the
‘Archetype Object Model’.
Source
openEHR
Foundation webiste
Glossary Map
Information
Model
openEHR
Foundation webiste
Formal
Language,
Standards and
Specifications
openEHR
Foundation webiste
Information
Model,
Standards and
Specifications
openEHR
Foundation webiste
Formal
Language,
Standards and
Specifications
Also Known As: Detailed Clinical Model, Clinical Information Model,
Clinical Model
Archetype Definition Language
ADL
Archetype Object Model
AOM
ADL is a formal language for expressing archetypes. It
provides a formal, textual syntax for describing constraints on
any domain entity whose data is described by an information
model (also known as the ‘underlying reference model’). The
ADL syntax is semantically equivalent to the AOM, and
represents one possible serialisation of the AOM. The current
version of ADL is known as ‘ADL 1.5’.
The AOM is the definitive expression of archetype semantics,
and is independent of any particular syntax. The AOM is
defined as an object model, using a UML class diagram. It is a
generic model, meaning that it can be used to express
archetypes for any reference model in a standard way.
Version 1.4 of the AOM was standardised in ISO-13606:2.
The current version is known as ‘AOM 1.5’.
Also Known As: Constraint Model, Constraint Formalism, Constraint
Modelling Formalism
Archetype Query Language
AQL
Archetype Query Language (AQL) is a declarative query
language developed specifically for expressing queries used
for searching and retrieving the clinical data found in
archetype-based EHRs. AQL expresses the queries at the
archetype level, i.e. semantic level, other than at the data
instance level. This is the key in achieving sharing queries
across system boundaries or enterprise boundaries.
B
Term
Binding
Abbreviation
-
Definition
The term 'binding' denotes the structural relationship between 'the
information model' (modelled using archetypes) and the
‘terminology’. There are three main types of terminology binding:
 Semantic Binding
 Name Binding
 Value Binding
Source
openEHR
Foundation website
Glossary Map
Terminology
Binding
Source
MOH Holdings
Glossary Map
Information
Model
MOH Holdings
Information
Model
HL7 SAIF-IF
Information
Model
Wikipedia
Information
Model
Also Known As: Terminology Binding
C
Term
Cardinality Constraint
Abbreviation
-
CIMI Reference Model
CRM
Class
-
Class Diagram
-
Definition
A cardinality constraint limits the number of instances that can exist
for a given data item in a clinical model – for example ‘0..1’,
‘1..Many’.
The CIMI Reference Model is the Underlying Reference Model on
which CIMI’s clinical models (i.e. archetypes) are defined. This
reference model defines a rigorous and stable set of modelling
patterns, including a set of complex datatypes, information patterns
(e.g. data, qualifier, state), and structural patterns (e.g. composition,
entry, tree). All CIMI clinical models (i.e. archetypes) will be defined
by constraining the CIMI reference model. The reference model is
intended to be instantiated with patient data, which conforms to the
constraints defined by the associated clinical model.
Also Known As: Underlying Reference Model, Reference Model
A Class is a collection of attributes that pertain to a specific
encapsulated concept. Classes can have relationships to other
classes, within a Class Diagram.
A class diagram in UML is a type of static diagram that describes the
structure of a system by showing its classes, attributes, operations
Classification
Clinical Data Repository
CDR
Clinical Governance
Clinical Information Model
CIM
Clinical Document Architecture
CDA
Clinical Information Modelling
Initiative
CIMI
Clinical Information Modelling
Initiative Specifications
CIMI
Specifications
Clinical Interoperability
-
Clinical Model
CM
Clinical Modelling Language
CML
and the relationships between the classes.
A terminology that is hierarchically arranged.
An operational data store that holds and manages clinical data
collected from service encounters at the point-of-service locations,
for example: hospitals, clinics, etc.
A governance framework through which the high clinical quality of all
clinical artefacts (including clinical models/archetypes) is maintained,
during creation, storage, verification, maintenance, and distribution,
by, for and on behalf of CIMI.
An abstract representation of the structured clinical information
(including relationships, constraints and terminology), which
describes a specific clinical concept – e.g. a blood pressure, a
Discharge Summary, or a Medication Order.
Also Known As: Archetype, Detailed Clinical Model, Clinical Model
The HL7 Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) is an XML-based
markup standard intended to specify the encoding, structure and
semantics of clinical documents for exchange.
An initiative established to “improve the interoperability of
healthcare information systems through shared implementable
clinical information models.”
CIMI specifications are those specifications adopted or published by
the CIMI, including the CIMI reference model, the CIMI constraint
formalism, and the CIMI data types.
The ability of diverse clinical systems and organisations to work
together.
An abstract representation of the structured clinical
information (including relationships, constraints and terminology),
which describes a specific clinical concept – e.g. a blood pressure, a
Discharge Summary, or a Medication Order.
Also Known As: Archetype, Detailed Clinical Model, Clinical
Information Model
A language used to define clinical information models. Examples
include:
 Archetype Definition Language (ADL)
 Unified Modelling Language (UML)
HL7 SAIF-IF
Canada Health
Infoway EHR
Glossary
MOH Holdings
Terminology
Repository
MOH Holdings
Information
Model
HL7 website
Standards and
Specifications
Scope of CIMI
(CIMI)
Organisation
MOH Holdings
Standards and
Specifications
MOH Holdings
Requirements
MOH Holdings
Information
Model
MOH Holdings
Information
Model
Governance
Clinical Model Repository
CMR
Clinical Requirements
-
Clinical Verification
-
Code System
-
Common Terminology Services
2.0
CTS2
Compositional Grammar
-
Concept
-
Conceptual Information Model
CIM
 Ontology Web Language (OWL)
A data store that holds clinical information models, and associated
artefacts, in an agreed sharable format.
Requirements that relate to clinical needs – including clinical
practices, standards, guidelines, principles or other clinical concepts.
The act of reviewing, inspecting or testing, in order to establish that a
specification meets appropriate clinical safety and quality standards.
A code system provides a set of codes, which are each associated
with a predefined meaning.
CTS2 is a specification that provides a standard interface to disparate
terminology sources. The Information Model specifies the structural
definition, attributes and associations of Resources common to
structured terminologies such as Code Systems, Binding Domains and
Value Sets. The Computational Model specifies the service
descriptions and interfaces needed to access and maintain structured
terminologies.
A formal grammar used to compose SNOMED CT expressions that can
be carried in [messages], in the Concept Descriptor (CD) data type.
A Concept is an abstract thought about a thing, or things, in the
world. It the basic unit of communication and each concept
represents an atomic unit of thought that references a concrete or
abstract thing. A single concept may be represented using either a
single code, a defining expression or a structure of other concepts
from which this concept is defined.
In SNOMED CT, each concept is uniquely identified by a concept ID,
and a Fully Specified Name (FSN). SNOMED CT concepts may be
formally defined in terms of their relationships with other concepts.
An abstract model focusing on the ‘conceptual perspective’. CIMs
may not define attributes and when they do, they do not define
specific codes or code systems from which semantic types might
originate. CIMs maintain maximal reuse capability. They allow a
MOH Holdings
Repository
MOH Holdings
Requirements
Wikipedia + MOH
Holdings
MOH Holdings
Requirements
HL7 website
Terminology,
Repository,
Standards and
Specifications
IHTSDO
(“Compositional
Grammar for
SNOMED CT
Expressions in HL7
Version 3”)
HL7 SAIF-IF /
IHTSDO
Terminology
Binding,
Standards and
Specifications
HL7 SAIF-IF
Information
Model
Terminology
Terminology
domain expert to provide requirements in their language and allow a
terminologist, downstream in the development process, to assign
appropriate value sets or code-system content to each abstract
semantic type.
Constraint Formalism
-
A formal specification used for describing constraints on the
Underlying Reference Model. The Constraint Formalism is
used to express clinical information models (i.e. archetypes).
MOH Holdings
Information
Model
MOH Holdings
Information
Model
MOH Holdings
Information
Model
Wikipedia
Governance
Source
HL7 SAIF-IF
Glossary Map
Repository
Also Known As: Constraint Model, Constraint Modelling Formalism,
Archetype Object Model
Constraint Modelling
Formalism
-
A formal specification used for describing constraints on the
Underlying Reference Model. The Constraint Formalism is
used to express clinical information models (i.e. archetypes).
Also Known As: Constraint Model, Constraint Formalism, Archetype
Object Model
Constraint Model
Corporate Governance
-
-
A formal specification used for describing constraints on the
Underlying Reference Model. The Constraint Formalism is
used to express clinical information models (i.e. archetypes).
Also Known As: Constraint Model, Constraint Formalism, Constraint
Modelling Formalism, Archetype Object Model
The processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions which have an
impact on the way [CIMI] is controlled. Organisational governance
also includes the relationships among the many stakeholders
involved and the goals for which the corporation is governed. It
guarantees that [CIMI] is directed and controlled in a responsible,
professional and transparent manner with the purpose of
safeguarding its long-term success.
Also Known As: Organisational Governance
D
Term
Data
Abbreviation
-
Definition
The raw material from which information is derived. In order to allow
information systems to use data to address most healthcare use
cases, we must first convert it to information by defining its context
with associated meta-data.
Data Element
-
Data Type
-
Description (SNOMED CT)
-
Design Pattern
DP
Description Logic
DL
Detailed Clinical Model
DCM
DL-Based Reference
Terminology
-
A data element is an atomic unit of data that has precise meaning or
precise semantics.
A data storage model or template that defines the attributes for a
specific type or range of values. It acts to formalize the requirements
for data of specific types so that all of the attributes needed to
process the data are known by a receiver.
A description (in SNOMED CT) is a term or name assigned to a
particular concept, which has a unique identifier (i.e. the Description
ID). Each concept may have multiple descriptions associated with it.
Each description is either a Fully Specified Name (FSN) or a synonym.
Synonyms may also be the Preferred Term (PT) of a concept in a
particular realm.
Design patterns are full logical models for which the meaning of data
can be represented in a clinical information system (both in the user
interface and in storage levels) with more than one split between the
information model and the terminology model.
Also Known As: Isosemantic Models
Description Logic is a family of formal knowledge representation
languages. A DL models concepts, roles and individuals, and their
relationships. The design of OWL and SNOMED CT are both based on
Description Logic.
A Detailed Clinical Model (DCM) is an information model of a discrete
set of precise clinical knowledge which can be used in a variety of
contexts. DCMs provide the data element specification and
attributes, including the possible values and types of the attributes,
and where possible a model and technical implementation
specifications needed to convey the clinical reality in a fashion that is
understandable to both clinical domain experts and modelers.
Also Known As: Constraint Model, Archetype, Clinical Constraint
Model, Clinical Information Model, Clinical Model
A high quality controlled terminology, where each concept has a
formal, logical definition, usually provided by an ontology, which is
consistent between and within systems, has consistent meaning over
time, and has deterministic (computable) meaning. The objective of a
DL-based Reference Terminology is to be widely used, where the
Wikipedia
HL7 SAIF-IF
Information
Model
Information
Model
MOH Holdings
Terminology
IHTSDO
Terminology
Binding
Wikipedia
Terminology
HL7 website
Information
Model
HL7 SAIF-IF
Terminology
meaning is useful, able to be communicated-to and understood-by
many average health care providers without reference to
inaccessible, hidden or private meanings. SNOMED CT is an example
of a DL-based reference terminology.
E
Term
European Committee for
Standardization
Abbreviation
CEN
eXtensible Markup Language
XML
Term
Fast Healthcare
Interoperability Resources
Abbreviation
FHIR
First Order Predicate Logic
FOPL
Definition
CEN is a major provider of European Standards and technical
specifications.CEN’s 31 National Members work together to develop
voluntary European Standards (ENs).
XML is a markup language that defines a set of rules for encoding
documents in a format that is both human-readable and machinereadable. It is defined in the XML 1.0 specification produced by the
W3C.
Source
CEN website
Glossary Map
Organisation
Wikipedia
Formal
Language
Definition
Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR, pronounced "Fire")
is an MnM project, initiated in September 2011. Prior to it becoming
a HL7 project this work was known as Resources for Health (RFH), a
"fresh look" proposal by Grahame Grieve, which he made made on
August 18th, 2011. FHIR defines a set of “Resources” that represent
granular clinical concepts. The resources can be managed in isolation,
or aggregated into complex documents. A workflow management
layer provides support for designing, procuring, and integrating
solutions. Technically, FHIR is designed for the web; the resources are
based on simple XML, with an http-based RESTful protocol where
each resource has predictable URL. Where possible, open internet
standards are used for data representation.
Source
HL7 website
Glossary Map
Standards and
Specifications
Wikipedia
Information
Model
F
Also Known As: Resources For Health
First-order predicate logic is a formal system used in mathematics,
philosophy, linguistics, and computer science. While propositional
logic deals with simple declarative propositions, first-order logic
additionally covers predicates and quantification.
Formal Language
-
A formal language is a set of words—that is, strings of symbols drawn
from a common alphabet. Formal languages are often used as the
basis for defining programming languages and other systems in which
the words of the language are associated with particular meanings or
semantics.
Wikipedia + MOH
Holdings
Formal
Language
In the context of CIMI, examples of formal languages include the
Archetype Definition Language (ADL), Unified Modelling Language
(UML), Object Constraint Language (OCL) and eXtensible Markup
Language (XML).
G
Term
Governance
Abbreviation
-
Definition
Governance relates to consistent management, cohesive policies,
guidance, processes and decision-rights for a given area of
responsibility. Types of governance relevant to CIMI include:
 Clinical governance
 Technical governance
 Organisational (or corporate) governance
Source
Wikipedia
Glossary Map
Governance
Term
Health Level 7
Abbreviation
HL7
Source
HL7 website
Glossary Map
Organisation
HL7 Standards and
Specifications
-
Definition
Founded in 1987, Health Level Seven International (HL7) is a not-forprofit, ANSI-accredited standards developing organization dedicated
to providing a comprehensive framework and related standards for
the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health
information that supports clinical practice and the management,
delivery and evaluation of health services.
HL7 and its members provide a framework (and related standards)
for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic
health information. These standards define how information is
packaged and communicated from one party to another, setting the
language, structure and data types required for seamless integration
between systems. HL7 standards include:
HL7 website
Standards and
Specifications
H
HL7 version 2
HL7 v2
HL7 version 3
HL7 v3
Term
Abbreviation
-
 HL7 version 2
 HL7 version 3
 Clinical Document Architecture
 Reference Information Model
HL7’s Version 2.x (V2) messaging standard is the workhorse of
electronic data exchange in the clinical domain and arguably the
most widely implemented standard for healthcare in the world. This
messaging standard allows the exchange of clinical data between
systems.
Health Level Seven Version 3 (V3) is a suite of specifications based on
HL7’s Reference Information Model (RIM). The Version 3 Normative
Edition represents a new approach to clinical information exchange
based on a model driven methodology that produces messages and
electronic documents expressed in XML syntax. The V3 specification
is built around subject domains that provide storyboard descriptions,
trigger events, interaction designs, domain object models derived
from the RIM, hierarchical message descriptors (HMDs) and a prose
description of each element. Implementation of these domains
further depends upon a non-normative V3 Guide and normative
specifications for: data types; the XML technical specifications (ITS) or
message wire format; message and control “wrappers;” and
transport protocols.
HL7 website
Standards and
Specifications
HL7 website
Standards and
Specifications
Source
MOH Holdings
Glossary Map
Standards and
Specifications
Wikipedia
Terminology
Wikipedia
Terminology
I
IHTSDO Standards and
Specifications
International Classification of
Diseases and Related Health
Problems
ICD
International Classificaiton of
Diseases and Related Health
ICD-9
Definition
Standards and specifications that have been published by the
IHTSDO. IHTSDO standards and specifications include:
 SNOMED CT
 Compositional Grammar
The ICD is a medical classification, published by the World Health
Organisation, which provides codes to classify diseases and a wide
variety of signs, symptoms, abnormal findings, complaints, social
circumstances, and external causes of injury or disease.
The 9-th revision of the ICD, which was published by the World
Health Organisation in 1977.
Problems – 9th Revision
International Classification of
Diseases and Related Health
Problems – 10th Revision
ICD-10
International Health
Terminology Standards
Development Organisation
Information Model
IHTSDO
Interface Clinical Model
ICM
Interface Terminology
IT
International Organization of
Standardization
ISO
Information
-
IM
Information Exchange
-
Interoperability
-
The 10-th revision of the ICD. This code set allows more than 155,000
different codes and permits tracking of many new diagnoses and
procedures – a significant expansion on the 17,000 codes available in
ICD-9.
The IHTSDO is a not-for-profit association that develops and
promotes use of SNOMED CT to support safe and effective health
information exchange.
A structured specification of the information requirements of a
project. An information model expresses the classes of information
required and the properties of those classes, including attributes,
relationships and states.
A clinical model that represents the information structures,
constraints and terminology intended for display in a clinical user
interface.
An Interface Terminology assists entry and display of information and
provides consistent data entry.
ISO is the world’s largest developer and publisher of International
Standards. ISO is a network of the national standards institutes of 162
countries, on member per country, with a Central Secretariat in
Geneva, Switzerland, that coordinates the system.
Information is "data-in-context". It is the context of data and its
unambiguous organization into a hierarchy of information models
that contributes to the properties of semantic interoperability when
shared among information systems. For information to be
computable (and therefore useful in decision support or secondary
analysis) it must be discrete, structured and typed.
An Information Exchange (IE) is when data is exchanged between
trading partners, there is a requirement for describing an information
model (IE static semantics) and behaviour model (IE dynamic
semantics) about the data and how the systems will move the data
over the connections between them.
Interoperability is the ability of diverse systems and organisations to
work together (i.e. inter-operate). Types of interoperability identified
here include:
 Physical interoperability
Wikipedia
Terminology
IHTSDO
Organisation
HL7 (EHRS)
Information
Model
MOH Holdings
Information
Model
HL7 SAIF-IF
Terminology
ISO website
Organisation
HL7 SAIF-IF
Repository
HL7 SAIF-IF
Repository
Wikipedia
Requirements
ISO-11179
ISO-11179
ISO-13606
ISO-13606
ISO-13606:1
ISO-13606:1
ISO-13606:2
ISO-13606:2
ISO-13606:3
ISO-13606:3
ISO-13606:4
ISO-13606:4
ISO-13606:5
ISO-13606:5
ISO-13972
ISO-13972
ISO-18308
ISO-18308
ISO-8601
ISO-8601
Isosemantic Models
-
 Syntactic interoperability
 Semantic interoperability
 Clinical interoperability
“Information technology - Metadata registries (MDR)”, including:
 “Part 1: Framework”. Published in 2004.
 “Part 2: Classification”. Published in 2005.
 “Part 3: Registry metamodel and basic attributes”. Published
in 2003.
 “Part 4: Formulation of data definitions”. Published in 2004.
 “Part 5: Naming and identification principles”. Published in
2005.
 “Part 6: Registration”. Published in 2005.
ISO-13606 Health informatics - Electronic Health Record
Communication
“Health informatics – Electronic health record communication – Part
1: Reference model”. Published in 2008.
“Health informatics – Electronic health record communication – Part
2: Archetype interchange specification”. Published in 2008.
“Health informatics – Electronic health record communication – Part
3: Reference archetypes and term lists”. Published in 2009.
“Health informatics – Electronic health record communication – Part
4: Security”. Published in 2009.
“Health informatics – Electronic health record communication – Part
5: Interface specification”. Published in 2010.
“Health informatics – Detailed Clinical Models”, including:
 “Part 1: Quality processes regarding detailed clinical model
development, governance, publishing and maintenance”.
Committee draft in 2011.
 “Part 2: Quality attributes of detailed clinical models”.
Committee draft in 2011.
“Health informatics – Requirements for an electronic health record
architecture”. Published in 2011.
“Data elements and interchange formats – Information interchange –
Representation of dates and times”. Published in 2004.
A set of models, which capture exactly the same semantics (or
ISO website
Standards and
Specifications
www.iso.org
Standards and
Specifications
Standards and
Specifications
Standards and
Specifications
Standards and
Specifications
Standards and
Specifications
Standards and
Specifications
Standards and
Specifications
www.iso.org
www.iso.org
www.iso.org
www.iso.org
www.iso.org
www.iso.org
www.iso.org
www.iso.org
MOH Holdings
Standards and
Specifications
Standards and
Specifications
Information
meaning), but in a different way. Isosemantic models may, for
example, use a different level of pre and post-coordination.
ISO Standards and
Specifications
-
Term
Key Concept
Abbreviation
-
Term
Logical Information Model
Abbreviation
LIM
Logical Observation Identifiers
names and Codes
LOINC
Also Known As: Design Pattern
Standards, specifications and technical reports that have been
published by ISO, or are planned for publication by ISO.
Model
MOH Holdings
Standards and
Specifications
Definition
The main concept of interest in a clinical model, about which the
other attributes and relationships provide additional information. In
the context of a SNOMED CT compositional grammar expression, this
is also known as the ‘focus concept’.
Source
MOH Holdings
Glossary Map
Terminology
Binding
Definition
A LIM is a “design time” representation of a domain's data, organized
in terms of entities modelled as classes and relationships and may be
independent of any particular terminology or implementation. These
abstract models can be used to define information requirements
from which more specific constrained information models are
derived. For a specific run-time environment LIMs are used to
generate IIM instances.
LOINC is a dataset of universal identifiers for laboratory and other
clinical observations to facilitate exchange and storage of clinical
results or vital signs for patient care and research.
Source
HL7 SAIF-IF
Glossary Map
Information
Model
www.loinc.org
Terminology
Source
Wikipedia + MOH
Glossary Map
Information
J
K
L
M
Term
Metadata
Abbreviation
-
Definition
Metadata (‘data about data’) is defined as data providing information
Metamodel
--
Meta Object Facility
MOF
Modifier
-
about one or more aspects of the data, such as:
 Means of creation of the data
 Purpose of the data
 Time and date of creation
 Creator or author of data
Within the CIMI clinical model repository, metadata will be recorded
about each clinical information model, including the originating
organisation, authors, date created/updated, requirements,
purpose, use, misuse, versioning information, implementations and
general comments.
A metamodel (‘model of a model’) is an abstract representation of
the characteristics and properties of a model. Every model always
conforms to (or is an instance of) a unique metamodel. One of the
currently most active branch of Model Driven Engineering is the
approach named model-driven architecture proposed by the OMG.
This approach is based on the utilization of a language to write
metamodels called the ‘Meta Object Facility’ (or MOF). Typical
metamodels proposed by OMG include UML, SysML, SPEM or CWM.
The Meta-Object Facility (MOF) is an Object Management Group
(OMG) standard for model-driven engineering. MOF is designed as a
four-layered architecture. It provides a meta-meta model at the top
layer, called the M3 layer. This M3-model is the language used by
MOF to build metamodels, called M2-models. The most prominent
example of a Layer 2 MOF model is the UML metamodel, the model
that describes the UML itself. These M2-models describe elements of
the M1-layer, and thus M1-models. These would be, for example,
models written in UML. The last layer is the M0-layer or data layer. It
is used to describe real-world objects.
A modifier is an attribute that changes the meaning of a clinical
concept in a way that changes the semantic hierarchy (or ‘axis’) of
the code. The resulting modified meaning is not a subtype of the
original meaning of the code, and is therefore not classified as a
‘qualifier’. “Family history of”, “Planned” and “Not done” are all
examples of modifiers.
Holdings
Model
Wikipedia
Information
Model
Wikipedia
Standards and
Specifications
IHTSDO website
Terminology
Binding
N
Term
Name Binding
Abbreviation
-
Definition
The relationship between an element or attribute in the information
model and its name. The name involved in the name binding may be
either a simple string or a description from a terminology, such as
SNOMED CT.
Source
MOH Holdings
Glossary Map
Terminology
Binding
Term
Object Constraint Language
Abbreviation
OCL
Source
Wikipedia
Glossary Map
Information
Model, Formal
Language,
Standards and
Specifications
Object Management Group
OMG
OMG website
Organisation
Object Management Group
Specifications
OMG
Specifications
OMG website
Standards and
Specifications
Ontology
-
HL7 SAIF-IF
Terminology
openEHR Foundation
openEHR
Definition
The Object Constraint Language (OCL) is a declarative language for
describing rules that apply to Unified Modeling Language (UML)
models developed at IBM and now part of the UML standard. The
Object Constraint Language is a precise text language that provides
constraint and object query expressions on any MOF model or metamodel that cannot otherwise be expressed by diagrammatic
notation.
OMG’s mission is to develop, with our worldwide membership,
enterprise integration standards that provide real-world value. OMG
has been an international, open membership, not-for-profit
computer industry consortium since 1989. OMG’s modeling
standards, including the Unified Modeling Language (UML) and
Model Driven Architecture (MDA), enable powerful visual design,
execution and maintenance of software and other processes,
including IT Systems Modeling and Business Process Management.
OMG’s middleware standards and profiles are based on the Common
Object Request Broker Architecture (CORBA) and support a wide
variety of industries.
OMG specifications are those specifications published by the OMG,
including the Meta Object Facility (MOF), and the Unified Modelling
Language (UML).
A purpose driven systematic representation of domain concepts and
their relationships to other concepts.
The openEHR Foundation is an international not-for-profit
foundation, working towards:
www.openEHR.org
Organisation
O
openEHR Specifications
-
Organisation
Organisational Governance
-
Organisational Requirements
-
 Making the interoperable, life-long electronic health record a
reality
 Improving health care in the information society.
It does this by:
 Developing open specifications, open-source software and
knowledge resources
 Engaging in clinical implementation projects
 Participating in international standards development
 Supporting health informatics education
openEHR specifications are those specifications published by the
openEHR Foundation, including: Archetype Definition Language
(ADL), Archetype Object Model (AOM), the openEHR reference model
(RM) and the Archetype Query Language (AQL)
The processes, customs, policies, laws and institutions which have an
impact on the way [CIMI] is controlled. Organisational governance
also includes the relationships among the many stakeholders
involved and the goals for which the corporation is governed. It
guarantees that [CIMI] is directed and controlled in a responsible,
professional and transparent manner with the purpose of
safeguarding its long-term success.
Also Known As: Corporate Governance
Requirements that pertain to the organisational needs.
Organisational requirements may relate to the organisational
structures, activities of individuals and groups, power structures,
obligations, responsibilities, control, autonomy, values and ethics of
the organisation.
MOH Holdings
Wikipedia.org
Standards and
Specifications
Organisation
Governance
Organisational
Requirements
Requirements
Source
HL7 SAIF-IF
Glossary Map
Information
Model
P
Term
Physical Information Model
Abbreviation
PIM
Definition
A PIM is a “run-time” implementation-specific information model
representation of a domain's data, organized in terms of
entities/classes modeled as schemas (e.g., template) and specific
relationships and is bound to a particular terminology and
Physical Interoperability
-
Primitive Concept
-
Postcoordinated Concept
-
Precoordinated Concept
-
Term
Qualifier
Abbreviation
-
Term
Reference Clinical Model
Abbreviation
RCM
Reference Information Model
(HL7)
HL7 RIM
implementation technology.
The physical connections that allow information to move from place
to place – e.g. an Ethernet cable or a wireless network.
A concept which has not been fully defined in terms of other
concepts.
A concept which is defined using an expression or structure in terms
of two-or-more other concepts from within a terminology set. A
postcoordinated concept does not have a predefined unique
identifier within the given terminology set. Post-coordinated
concepts can avoid the need to create large numbers of predefined
concepts within the terminology set. However, many systems can
only accept pre-coordinated concepts, or structural representations
of postcoordinated concepts.
A concept, which is defined in terms of two-or-more other concepts,
within a terminology set, and which has been assigned a unique
identifier.
Clinical Architecture
Healthcare IT
-
Requirements
HL7 SAIF-IF ++
Terminology
HL7 SAIF-IF ++
Terminology
Definition
A qualifier is an attribute that changes the meaning of a clinical
concept, such that the resulting qualified meaning is a subtype of the
original meaning. Laterality=”Left”, Severity=”Mild” and Finding Site =
“Knee” are all examples of qualifiers.
Source
MOH Holdings
Glossary Map
Terminology
Binding
Definition
A clinical information model that represents a shared understanding
of a distinct piece of clinical knowledge. The reference clinical model
can be mapped to other region-specific, project-specific or use-casespecific models.
The Reference Information Model (RIM) is the cornerstone of the HL7
Version 3 development process. An object model created as part of
the Version 3 methodology, the RIM is a large, pictorial
representation of the HL7 clinical data (domains) and identifies the
Source
MOH Holdings
Glossary Map
Information
Model
HL7 website
Information
Model,
Standards and
Specifications
Terminology
Q
R
Reference Model
RM
Reference Set
-
Reference Terminology
RT
Relationship
-
Repository
-
Requirement
-
life cycle that a message or groups of related messages will carry. It is
a shared model between all domains and, as such, is the model from
which all domains create their messages.
A Reference Model is an information model which defines a rigorous
and stable set of modelling patterns upon which the clinical models
(i.e. archetypes) are defined. Modelling patterns defined in the CIMI
reference model include a set of complex datatypes, information
patterns (e.g. data, qualifier, state), and structural patterns (e.g.
composition, entry, tree). All clinical models (i.e. archetypes) will be
defined by constraining the reference model. The reference model is
intended to be instantiated with patient data, which conforms to the
constraints defined by the associated clinical model.
Also Known As: Underlying Reference Model, CIMI Reference Model
The Reference Set mechanism, in SNOMED CT, provides a standard
way to refer to a set of SNOMED CT components (i.e. concepts,
relationships, descriptions or reference sets). Reference Sets can be
used to configure different views of SNOMED CT by constraining
searches or representing short lists of terms for a data entry field.
They can also be used to meet other requirements including checking
that a concept id falls within a permitted set of values for a field in a
data structure or message (e.g. to represent an HL7 value set).
Also Known As: Value Set
A reference terminology is a set of formally-defined concepts that
function as a ‘hub’ to which codes from different systems can map.
A relationship is an association or link between two clinical concepts.
Relationships can either exist within the clinical model (i.e. structural
relationships) or within a terminology (e.g. SNOMED CT).
A repository is a location for storage. Types of repositories that are
relevant to CIMI include:
 Clinical Data Repository – for storing clinical data about
specific patients
 Clinical Model Repository – for storing clinical information
models
 Terminology Server – for storing clinical terminology
A requirement is a statement that identifies a necessary attribute,
MOH Holdings
Information
Model
IHSTDO
Terminology
MOH Holdings
Terminology
MOH Holdings
Terminology
MOH Holdings
Repository
Wikipedia
Requirements
Resource Description
Framework
RDF
Resources For Health
RFH
capability, characteristic, or quality of a system for it to have value
and utility to a user.
RDF is a standard model for data interchange on the Web. RDF
extends the linking structure of the Web to use URIs to name the
relationship between things as well as the two ends of the link (this is
usually referred to as a “triple”). This linking structure forms a
directed, labeled graph, where the edges represent the named link
between two resources, represented by the graph nodes.
The former name for what is now called ‘Fast Health Interoperability
Resources’ (pronounces “fire”).
W3C website
Standards and
Specifications
MOH Holdings
Standards and
Specifications
Source
MOH Holdings
Wikipedia
Glossary Map
Terminology
Binding
Requirements
Ihtsdo.org
Terminology
Wikipedia
Standards and
Specifications
Also Known As: Fast Health Interoperability Resources
S
Term
Semantic Binding
Abbreviation
-
Semantic Interoperability
-
SNOMED CT
SCT
Service Oriented Architecture
SOA
Definition
The relationship between an element or attribute in the information
model and a terminology concept that represent its meaning.
The ability of two or more systems to automatically interpret the
information exchanged meaningfully and accurately in order to
produce useful results as defined by the end users of both systems.
SNOMED CT (Systemized Nomenclature of Medicine – Clinical Terms’)
is a clinical terminology which is considered to be the most
comprehensive, multilingual healthcare terminology in the world.
Service Oriented Architecture (SOA) is a paradigm for organizing and
utilizing distributed capabilities that may be under the control of
different ownership domains. It provides a uniform means to offer,
discover, interact with and use capabilities to produce desired effects
consistent with measurable preconditions and expectations. [OASIS]
SOA represents an open, agile, extensible, federated, composable
architecture comprised of autonomous, QoS-capable, vendor diverse,
interoperable, discoverable, and potentially reusable services,
implemented as Web services. SOA can establish an abstraction of
business logic and technology, resulting in a loose coupling between
these domains. SOA is an evolution of past platforms, preserving
successful characteristics of traditional architectures, and bringing
SPARQL Protocol and RDF
Query Language
SPARQL
Standards and Specifications
-
Syntactic Interoperability
-
Term
Technical Governance
Abbreviation
-
Technical Requirements
-
with it distinct principles that foster service-orientation in support of
a service-oriented enterprise. SOA is ideally standardized throughout
an enterprise, but achieving this state requires a planned transition
and the support of a still evolving technology set. [Thomas Erl][
SPARQL (pronounced "sparkle") is an RDF query language, which was
made a standard by the RDF Data Access Working Group (DAWG) of
the World Wide Web Consortium. SPARQL allows for a query to
consist of triple patterns, conjunctions, disjunctions, and optional
patterns
A (technical) standard is an established norm or requirement about
technical systems. It is usually a formal document that establishes
uniform engineering or technical criteria, methods, processes and
practices. A specification is an explicit set of requirements to be
satisfied by a material, product or service.
The ability of two or more systems to communicate and exchange
data.
Wikipedia
Formal
Language,
Standards and
Specifications
Wikipedia
Standards and
Specifications
Wikipedia
Requirements
Source
MOH Holdings
Glossary Map
Governance
Agile Modelling +
MOH Holdings
Requirements
openEHR website
and documents
Information
Model
T
Template
-
Definition
A governance framework through which the high technical quality of
all artefacts (including clinical models/archetypes, reference model,
constraint formalism and terminology) is maintained, during creation,
storage, verification, maintenance, and distribution, by, for and on
behalf of CIMI.
Technical requirements pertain to the technical aspects that the
system must fulfil, such as performance-related issues, reliability
issues and availability issues.
In the context of CIMI, technical requirements also relate to the
technical specifications to which artefacts must conform.
A template is a constraint specification applied to one or more
archetypes. Templates are used to create definitions of content such
as a particular document or message, required for specific use cases,
such as specific screen forms, message types or reports. Templates
are defined using the same constraint formalism as archetypes – i.e.
Term
-
Terminology
-
Terminology Binding
-
Terminology Expression
Language
Terminology Server
TS
Terminology Value Binding
-
the AOM. Typical examples include ‘acute care discharge summary’,
‘GP referral’ and radiology report’.
A word describing an idea, concept or thing, e.g. “dog” (preferred
English term), which may have alternate designations, e.g., “hund”
(German) or “canis lupus”
A set of terms, concepts and codes in a specific subject field whose
meanings have been defined or are generally understood. The
purpose of a terminology is to provide a clear and unambiguous way
to describe concepts so that two or more individuals can gain a
shared meaning of those concepts. Terminology MUST be able to
distinguish when two items are the same and terminology SHOULD
be able to distinguish precisely how non-identical items are similar
and different. A terminology is composed of concepts along with
synonymous terms, properties and various relationships.
The term 'binding' denotes the structural relationship between 'the
information model' (modelled using archetypes) and the
‘terminology’. There are three main types of terminology binding:
 Semantic Binding
 Name Binding
 Value Binding
Also Known As: Terminology Binding
A formal grammar used to create expressions from one or more
references to a terminology – for example, compositional grammar.
A terminology server is a piece of software providing a range of
terminology-related software services through an Applications
Programming Interface to its client applications.
The identification of the valid concepts that may populate a given
attribute in a given class. Terminology bindings may be defined using
an intensional definition (i.e. rules which define the set of valid
concepts), an extensional definition (i.e. a list of valid concepts), or
reference to a terminology reference set or value set.
Also Known As: Value Binding
HL7 SAIF-IF
Terminology
HL7 SAIF-IF
Terminology
openEHR website
and documents
Terminology
Binding
MOH Holdings
Terminology
Binding
Repository,
Terminology
Wikipedia
HL7 SAIF-IF
Terminology
Binding
U
Term
Underlying Reference Model
Abbreviation
URM
Unified Modelling Language
UML
Unified Modelling Language
Profile
UML Profile
Use Case
-
Definition
The Underlying Reference Model is an information model which
defines a rigorous and stable set of modelling patterns upon which
the clinical models (i.e. archetypes) are defined. Modelling patterns
defined in the URM include a set of complex datatypes, information
patterns (e.g. data, qualifier, state), and structural patterns (e.g.
composition, entry, tree). All clinical models (i.e. archetypes) will be
defined by constraining the reference model. The underlying
reference model is intended to be instantiated with patient data,
which conforms to the constraints defined by the associated clinical
model.
Also Known As: Reference Model, CIMI Reference Model
UML is a standardised general-purpose modelling language, created
and maintained by the Object Management Group. UML is used to
specify, visualise, modify, construct and document the artifacts of an
object-oriented software-intensive system under development. UML
includes a set of graphic notation techniques to create visual models,
including:
 Structure diagrams (e.g. class, component, deployment,
package and profile diagrams)
 Behaviour diagrams (e.g. activity, UML state machine and
use case diagrams)
 Interaction diagrams (e.g. communication, interaction
overview, sequence and timing diagrams)
In the context of CIMI, the phrase ‘UML model’ will most commonly
refer to a UML class diagram.
A profile in the Unified Modelling Language (UML) provides a generic
extension mechanism for customizing UML models for particular
domains and platforms. Profiles are defined using stereotypes, tag
definitions, and constraints that are applied to specific model
elements, such as Classes, Attributes, Operations and Activities. A
Profile is a collection of such extensions that collectively customize
UML for a particular domain or platform.
A use case is a list of steps, typically defining interactions between a
Source
MOH Holdings
Glossary Map
Information
Model
Wikipedia + MOH
Holdings.
Formal
Language
Wikipedia
Formal
Language,
Standards and
Specifications
Wikipedia
Requirements
role (known in UML as an ‘actor’) and a system, to achieve a goal.
There are multiple ways of documenting use cases, including:
 Common style (Title, Main Success Scenario, Extensions)
 Casual use case structure (Title/goal, Primary Actor, Scope,
Level, Story)
 UML use case diagram (originally based on Ivar Jacobson’s
Objectory notation)
V
Term
Value Binding
Abbreviation
-
Value Set
-
Term
Web Ontology Language
Abbreviation
OWL
Definition
The identification of the valid concepts that may populate a given
attribute in a given class. Terminology bindings may be defined using
an intensional definition (i.e. rules which define the set of valid
concepts), an extensional definition (i.e. a list of valid concepts), or
reference to a terminology reference set or value set.
Also Known As: Terminology Value Binding
A value set represents a uniquely identifiable set of valid concept
representations (e.g., terms, codes), where any concept
representation can be tested to determine whether or not it is a
member of the value set. Value set complexity may range from a
simple flat list of concept codes drawn from a single code system, to
an unbounded hierarchical set of possibly post-coordinated
expressions drawn from multiple code systems.
Also Known As: Reference Set
Source
HL7 SAIF-IF
Glossary Map
Terminology
Binding
HL7 SAIF-IF
Terminology,
Terminology
Binding
Definition
OWL is a family of knowledge representation languages for authoring
ontologies. The languages are characterised by formal semantics and
RDF/XML-based serializations for the Semantic Web. OWL is
endorsed by the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) and has
attracted academic, medical and commercial interest. W3C
announced the new version of OWL on 27 October 2009. This new
version, called OWL 2, soon found its way into semantic editors such
Source
Wikipedia
Glossary Map
Formal
Language,
Standards and
Specifications
W
World Wide Web Consortium
W3C
World Wide Web Consortium
Standards and Specifications
W3C
X
Y
Z
as Protégé and semantic reasoners such as Pellet, RacerPro, FaCT++
and HermiT.
The World Wide Web Consortium (W3C) is an international
community where member organizations, a full-time staff, and the
public work together to develop Web standards. W3C’s mission is to
lead the Web to its full potential.
W3C standards and specifications are those specifications published
by the W3C, including Web Ontology Language (OWL), SPARQL,
eXtensible Markup Language (XML) and Resource Description
Framework (RDF).
World Wide Web
Consortium website
Standards and
Specifications
MOH Holdings
Standards and
Specifications
Appendix A: CIMI Glossary Map
A.1 Clinical Information Modelling Initiative (CIMI)
Governance
Organisation
Standards and
Specifications
Requirements
Clinical Information
Modelling Initiative
(CIMI)
Terminology
Repository
Formal Language
Information Model
(IM)
Terminology Binding
A.2 Information Model
Conceptual
Information Model
(CIM)
Class Diagram
Object Constraint
Language (OCL)
Meta Object Facility
(MOF)
Physical Information
Model (PIM)
Logical Information
Model (LIM)
ISO-11179
Unified Modelling
Language (UML)
Reference
Information Model
(HL7 RIM)
Metamodel
First Order Predicate
Logic (FOPL)
ISO-13606:1
Metadata
Clinical Modelling
Language
Underlying
Reference Model
(URM)
Information Model
(IM)
Cardinality
Constraint
Isosemantic Models
Detailed Clinical
Model (DCM)
Constraint (Modelling)
Formalism / Model
Data Element
Data Type
Clinical (Information)
Model (CIM)
ISO-13606:2
openEHR Reference
Model
Archetype
Archetype Object
Model (AOM)
Reference Clinical
Model
Interface Clinical
Model
Template
A.3 Repository
Data
Information
Terminology Server
(TS)
Repository
Clinical Data
Repository (CDR)
Information
Exchange
Clinical Model
Repository (CMR)
Archetype Definition
Language (ADL)
Common
Terminology
Services 2.0 (CTS2)
A.4 Terminology
Term
ICD-9
Classification
ICD
ICD-10
LOINC
Description
Ontology
Common
Terminology
Services 2.0 (CTS2)
Relationship
Terminology
SNOMED CT (SCT)
Terminology Server
(TS)
Reference Set
Terminology Binding
Concept
Interface
Terminology
Value Set
Code System
Reference Set
Primitive Concept
Pre-coordinated
Concept
Post-coordinated
Concept
Reference
Terminology
DL-Based
Reference
Terminology
Description Logic
(DL)
Intensional
Reference Set
Extensional
Reference Set
A.5 Terminology Binding
Semantic Binding
Terminology
Information Model
Isosemantic Models
(Terminology) Value
Binding
Terminology Binding
Name Binding
Modifier
Design Pattern
Design Pattern
Terminology
Expression
Language
Value Set
Qualifier
Key Concept
Reference Set
Compositional
Grammar
Intensional
Reference Set
Extensional
Reference Set
A.6 Formal Language
Ontology Web
Language (OWL)
SPARQL
Unified Modelling
Language Profile
(UML Profile)
Unified Modelling
Language (UML)
Web Ontology
Language (OWL)
Formal Language
eXtensible Markup
Language (XML)
Object Constraint
Language (OCL)
Archetype Query
Language (AQL)
Archetype Definition
Language (ADL)
Archetype Object
Model (AOM)
A.1
Organisation
ISO Standards and
Specifications
W3C Specifications
IHTSDO Standards
and Specifications
International
Organization of
Standardization (ISO)
World Wide Web
Consortium (W3C)
openEHR
Foundation
openEHR
Specifications
Organisation
European Committee
for Standardization
(CEN)
International Health
Terminology Standards
Development Organization
(IHTSDO)
Clinical Information
Modelling Initiative
(CIMI)
CIMI Specifications
Object Management
Group (OMG)
Health Level 7 (HL7)
OMG Specifications
HL7 Standards and
Specifications
Archetype Object
Model (AOM)
A.2 Standards and Specifications
Compositional
Grammar
Archetype Definition
Language (ADL)
IHTSDO Standards
and Specifications
Resources For
Health (RFH)
Archetype Query
Language (AQL)
Fast Healthcare
Interoperability
Resources (FHIR)
openEHR
Specifications
Clinical Document
Architecture (CDA)
Reference
Information Model
(HL7 RIM)
ISO-8601
CIMI Specifications
ISO-18308
ISO Standards and
Specifications
ISO-13972
Standards and
Specifications
HL7 Standards and
Specifications
ISO-13606
Common
Terminology
Services 2.0 (CTS2)
OMG Specifications
ISO-11179
ISO-13606:1
HL7 v3
Meta Object Facility
(MOF)
ISO-13606:3
Resource
Description
Framework (RDF)
Unified Modelling
Language (UML)
Web Ontology
Language (OWL)
ISO-13606:4
Object Constraint
Language (OCL)
Service Oriented
Architecture (SOA)
W3C Standards and
Specifications
ISO-13606:5
ISO-13606:2
HL7 v2
eXtensible Markup
Language (XML)
SPARQL
A.3 Requirements
Physical
Interoperability
Syntactic
Interoperability
Semantic
Interoperability
Interoperability
Clinical
Interoperability
Technical
Requirements
Requirements
Organisational
Requirements
Use Case
Clinical
Requirements
Clinical Verification
A.4 Governance
Technical
Governance
Governance
Organisational
Governance
Clinical Governance
Corporate
Governance
Appendix B: CIMI Glossary Sources
Source Name
Agile Modelling website
Canada Health Infoway EHR Glossary
Author/Organisation
Agile Modelling
Canada Health Infoway
Website
www.agilemodeling.com
www.infoway-inforoute.ca
CEN website
Clinical Architecture Healthcare IT
Health Level 7 (HL7) website
International Organization for
Standardization website
MOH Holdings
Object Management Group (OMG)
website
openEHR website and documents
Organisational Requirements
Scope of CIMI
CEN
Clinical Architecture
HL7
ISO
www.cen.eu
www.clinicalarchitecture.com
www.hl7.org
www.iso.org
Date
28 Dec 2011
29th Mar
2010
28th Dec 2011
28th Dec 2011
20th Dec 2011
Linda Bird, MOH Holdings
OMG
www.mohh.com.sg
www.omg.org
23rd Dec 2011
28th Dec 2011
openEHR Foundation
Linda Macaulay
CIMI
HL7
www.openehr.org
www.lindamacaulay.com
csfe.aceworkspace.net/sf
/projects/clinical_information_modeling_in/
wiki.hl7.org/index.php?title= Product_SAIF
28th Dec 2011
28th Dec 2011
18th Nov
2011
20th Sep 2011
Joint Initiative Council (JIC)
www.skmtglossary.org
21st Dec 2011
W3C
www.wikipedia.org
www.w3.org
18th Dec 2011
28th Dec 2011
Service Aware Interoperability
Framework (SAIF) Information
Framework (IF)
Standards Knowledge Management Tool
(SKMT) Glossary
Wikipedia
World Wide Web Consortium website
th