# Question about reference modelling

**URL:** https://discourse.openehr.org/t/question-about-reference-modelling/14992
**Category:** Clinical (archive)
**Created:** [22 June 2010 08:50 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/question-about-reference-modelling/14992 "2010-06-22T08:50:16Z")
**Posts on this page:** 3
**Page:** 1

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### Author: ![user3](https://discourse.openehr.org/letter_avatar_proxy/v4/letter/u/ec9cab/32.png) [@user3](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/user3)
#### Post date: [22 June 2010 08:50 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/question-about-reference-modelling/14992/1 "2010-06-22T08:50:16Z")

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Hi!

I’ve a problem with openEHR archetypes modelling.

I am modelling “Patient hospitalization” usecase. So I have “Ward” archetype with different information about rooms like floor, TV existence etc. I think that instances of this archetype will be stored in Demographics servce. So, in “Patient hospitalization” archetype I need a some kind of reference to “Ward”.

In addition I have some requirements for my “Patient Hospitaliation” archetype:

- I need interoperability between different hospitals

So, how can I model it with Ocean Archetype Editor?

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### Author: ![ian.mcnicoll](https://discourse.openehr.org/user_avatar/discourse.openehr.org/ian.mcnicoll/32/4430_2.png) [@ian.mcnicoll](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/ian.mcnicoll)
#### Post date: [22 June 2010 14:00 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/question-about-reference-modelling/14992/2 "2010-06-22T14:00:28Z")

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Hi Igor,

This is an interesting area which does not neatly fit within the core openEHR focus.

We already have the EHR domain focussed on patient clinical data and the Demographic domain which deals with patient and provider demographics. What you are describing does not really fit terribly neatly with either domain, and should probably be thought of separately as a ‘Assets’ domain, which may deserve its own part of the openEHR reference model. Although the Demographics service is a better fit for this kind of ‘reference data’, this still does not feel quite correct and the Demographics Reference model is not really appropriate for this use, in my opinion.

One option, for now) would be to model Ward and other simiilar assets using traditional RDBMS approach and simply use a unique ID within the patient EHR to refer to the ward e.g patient’s current ward. You could always use Admin\_entry archetypes to facilitate the requirements modelling.

Regards,

Ian

Dr Ian McNicoll  
office / fax +44(0)141 560 4657  
mobile +44 (0)775 209 7859  
skype ianmcnicoll  
[ian.mcnicoll@oceaninformatics.com](mailto:ian.mcnicoll@oceaninformatics.com)  
[ian@mcmi.co.uk](mailto:ian@mcmi.co.uk)

Clinical Analyst Ocean Informatics openEHR Archetype Editorial Group  
Member BCS Primary Health Care SG Group [www.phcsg.org](http://www.phcsg.org) / BCS Health Scotland

2010/6/22 Игорь Лизунов \<[i.lizunov@infinnity.ru](mailto:i.lizunov@infinnity.ru)\>

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### Author: ![thomas.beale](https://discourse.openehr.org/user_avatar/discourse.openehr.org/thomas.beale/32/35_2.png) [@thomas.beale](https://discourse.openehr.org/u/thomas.beale)
#### Post date: [22 June 2010 17:03 UTC](https://discourse.openehr.org/t/question-about-reference-modelling/14992/3 "2010-06-22T17:03:11Z")

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certainly some extensions would be required to the demographic reference model to cope properly with ‘estate’ and other kinds of asset modelling. If there is value in such addtions to openEHR, they should be made - the reference model is not meant to be static forever, indeed just the opposite.

- thomas beale