Exploring a UML Profile Approach to Modeling Web Services in Healthcare

The Web services paradigm offers numerous potential benefits to the health care area. These include interoperability, portability, scalability, and compliance with universal standards. However, development of large-scale Web services applications in health care is relatively scarce. Multiple challenges are slowing the diffusion of information technology practices in health care, starting with the absence of modeling tools and methodologies that are the bases for building such technology. This article describes a UML profile approach to developing Web services applications in the health care area, emphasizing the use of such extensions as stereotyping and tagging to model the unique elements of health care processing. We apply these ideas to a health clinic example. From here, one can imagine building incrementally upon these ideas to develop frameworks for Web services applications in health care. The benefits would enhance the overall quality of health care delivery and lower costs.