CDATA project

Clinical setting is a peculiar and complex environment.
Coming to web application for a collaborative project, we usually face problems like these:

• unclear and ever changing data structure and application requirements
• medical-informatics worlds "mismatch"
• complex and rich data structure, semantic, and workflow
• health professionals are far from being "power users": user-friendly interface and simple application model needed
• fast-paced working environment and "offline" collaborative groups
• security and privacy issues

Simplicity is a complex matter.

Traditional approach is based on a relational database model. This works pretty good when you have clear and stable data structure, for example an epidemiological database for statistical analysis. It soon becomes a maintenance nightmare when data forms change fortnightly. Cdata tries to address these issues and aims to be a simple and flexible tool to build a clinical content repository and a web collaborative workspace.

Modules

Cdata has been modelled thinking of "information objects" that can be combined together at will, in a way similar to a paper-based office. The application has a pre-defined set of content type that can be connected together in a tree-like structure: one object can have only one "father" but an unlimited number of "children".

Currently Cdata supports the following content modules:

Database

Simply a container for patient data

Patient

A basic registration form, container for any kind of patient-related data forms and documents

Forms

A user-defined, template-generated (web interface) data form.

Currently available fields: text, integer, float, date (with calendar popup), textarea with/without HTML Editor, single/multiple select box (dropdown list, checkboxes or radio buttons)

Current functionality: error control (required, integer, float, regular expression, min, max), help text, tabs

Default or user-defined editing/visualization page template

Project
A container for project information and tasks (todo).

Todo

User-assigned task

File

Any kind of uploadable document (images, referrals, excel spreadsheets, etc.)

Web Page

Html page with editor that can be used for discussions, comments, articles, etc.

Link

A link to another web page or internal object

Event

Appointments, meetings, etc.

Application features

Admin functionalities

• Management of information objects, users, access permissions
• Web interface to create and modify form templates

User functionalities

• Personal profile
• Personal Bookmarks
• Resource Subscription for email notification when content is added or updated

Form features

• Field types supported
  • Text
  • Integer
  • Float
  • Date (with calendar popup)
  • Textarea with/without HTML Editor
  • Single/Multiple select box, as a dropdown list, checkboxes or radio buttons
  • Label
• Tabs
• Error control: required, integer, float, min/max, regular expression
• Help text
• Unit of measure
• Codes for lists: manual list, global lookup table, database query

Technical information and requirements

• Development platform: Php 4/5 and Mysql
• Open Source Tools used
  • Code Igniter Framework
  • YUI - Yahoo User Interface (Ajax functionalities)
  • TinyMCE WYSIWYG Web Editor

The only requisite is having an Apache-PHP-MySql platform (Windows or Linux). Currently it has been tested only with PHP 5.1+ and MySql 5+.

Where can I find it?

Cdata project is currently being hosted on Google Code.

• Cdata downloads and issue tracker
• Cdata pages and discussion group