Architecture of the open-source clinical research chart from Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside

Abstract

The Informatics for Integrating Biology and the Bedside (i2b2) is one of the sponsored initiatives of the NIH Roadmap National Centers for Biomedical Computing (http://www.bisti.nih.gov/ncbc/). One of the goals of i2b2 is to provide clinical investigators broadly with the software tools necessary to collect and manage project-related clinical research data in the genomics age as a cohesive entity, a software suite to construct and manage the modern clinical research chart. The i2b2 "hive" is a set of software modules called "cells" that have a common messaging protocol that allow them to interact using web services and XML messages. Each cell can be developed by independent investigators to achieve specific analytic goals, and then be integrated into the hive to enhance the functionality available in the i2b2 Hive. We have applied this architecture through several ongoing clinical studies and found it to be of high value. The current version of this software has been released into the public domain and is available at the URL-http://www.i2b2.org.

Figure 1

- Unlike traditional client/server models, such as a Web server/Web page system, Web services do not provide a visual user interface. Web services instead share business logic, data and processes through a programmatic interface across a network. These can then be connected together into workflows, administered by a traditional GUI client. Cells may invoke other Cells. This means that a developer can independently create complex behavior and user interfaces that reuse the functionality of existing Cells

Figure 2

- The i2b2 Hive consists of a set of modules that interact using Web Services. Core modules (dark) are essential for the operation of the Hive. Options modules (light) add functionality to the hive but are not essential.

Figure 3

– The i2b2 Workbench shown above is used to display the data placed into the Data Repository Cell (CRC). The terms from the ontology cell are shown to the left, and represent concepts that have been entered into the CRC. The data representations of these concepts are shown along a time line that extends across 10 years. The Notes written on the patients are shown as #1, and the concepts of “asthma” and “current smoker” that have been extracted from the notes are shown in box #2. This is repeated for each of the patients in the CRC.