INTELLIGENT PROCESSING OF LOOSELY STRUCTURED DOCUMENTS AS A STRATEGY FOR ORGANIZING ELECTRONIC HEALTH-CARE RECORDS

Loosely structured documents can capture more relevant information abo ut medical events than is possible using today's popular databases. In order to realize the full potential of this increased information con tent, techniques will be required that go beyond the static mapping of stored data into a single, rigid data model. Through intelligent proc essing, loosely structured documents can become a rich source of detai led data about actual events that can support the wide variety of appl ications needed to run a health-care organization, document medical ca re or conduct research. Abstraction and indirection are the means by w hich dynamic data models and intelligent processing are introduced int o database systems. A system designed around loosely structured docume nts can evolve gracefully while preserving the integrity of the stored data. The ability to identify and locate the information contained wi thin documents offers new opportunities to exchange data that can repl ace more rigid standards of data interchange.