HL7 healthcare information management using aspect-oriented programming

Given the heterogeneity of healthcare software systems, data from each system is often incompatible inhibiting interoperability. To enable the sharing and exchange of healthcare information interoperability standards must be adhered to. Health Level Seven (HL7) is the international standards organisation that promotes and enforces the standardisation of electronic healthcare information to facilitate its exchange and management. Incorporating HL7 functionality into existing applications requires significant modification and intrusive extensions. Using aspect-oriented programming (AOP), we can introduce HL7 functionality into existing applications without the requirement for refactoring or modification. HL7 data formatting affects multiple parts of an application and hence is a ldquocrosscut-ting concernrdquo. These concerns which entwine with base functionality introduce complexity and reduce modularity. A second benefit of AOP is its advanced modularisation capabilities which are capable of modularising ldquocrosscut-ting concernsrdquo. We illustrate the benefits of using AOP in HL7 by example and measure the effects of the approach on healthcare applications.