RESUMO
OBJECTIVES: To assess the current state of the art and the contribution of Free/Libre Open Source Software in health care (FLOSS-HC). METHODS: The review is based on a narrative review of the scientific literature as well as sources in the context of FLOSS-HC available through the Internet. All relevant available sources have been integrated into the MedFLOSS database and are freely available to the community. RESULTS: The literature review reveals that publications about FLOSS-HC are scarce. The largest part of information about FLOSS-HC is available on dedicated websites and not in the academic literature. There are currently FLOSS alternatives available for nearly every specialty in health care. Maturity and quality varies considerably and there is little information available on the percentage of systems that are actually used in health care delivery. CONCLUSIONS: The global impact of FLOSS-HC is still very limited and no figures on the penetration and usage of FLOSS-HC are available. However, there has been a considerable growth in the last 5 to 10 years. While there where only few systems available a decade ago, in the meantime many systems got available (e.g., more than 300 in the MedFLOSS database). While FLOSS concepts play an important role in most IT related sectors (e.g., telecommunications, embedded devices) the healthcare industry is lagging behind this trend.
RESUMO
Electronic health records (EHR) as well as personal health records (PHR) are in widespread use today. Since several years the University Hospital Heidelberg is implementing a so-called personal and electronic health record (PEHR). The joint approach is standards-based and includes several needed services. However a remained unresolved issue is how to connect general practitioners (GP) and their systems to the record. This work describes a tool called GP Connector that provides access for GPs to the PEHR within the law. GPs can profit from all advantages of the PEHR usage. Only adding documents to the record comfortably through standards-based interfaces remains still open. Thus, deep integration of the PEHR into primary systems is preferable anytime. Yet the continuous trend towards multi-institutional health network may also pave the way for standards-based interfaces also in the field of practice management systems.
