Expectations

• Overview of Mirth:
  • Mirth 101
  • Channels
  • Massaging Data
  • Input / Output
• How Mirth is currently being used
• Workshop / tutorial on data
• Get a text file into OpenMRS through Mirth

Overview

• Mirth - integration server developed by WebReach Inc.
• Middle layer between 2 systems - e.g. OpenMRS & Lab/Pharmacy System
• Allows you to send messages between systems and do custom transformations in the middle
• Concept of channel:
  • Communicate through channel
  • Each channel has a single source, but can have multiple destinations
  • At the source, can have a set of filters and transformers:
    • Filter - can filter out messages
    • Transformer - get certain datatype in - can transform message slightly, custom porcessing
  • Each destination can have a set of filters and transformers
• Supports multiple datatypes / inputs
  • File readers, database readers, HL7, DICOM, TCP sockets etc.
• Custom javascript - e.g. using XML, can access tags easily
• Dragging and dropping
• Possibility of using web services

Application Demonstration

• Creation of channels
• Getting data into and out of channels
• All server based - web base application
• Dahsboard tab - current channels, queues, channel messages
• Channels tab - displays existing channels
  • Creating a new channel:
    • On Channels tab, Right Click->Create New Channel
      • Choose input data type - HL7, XML etc
      • Connector Type - TCP Listener, File Reader, SOAP, Database Reader
      • On side panel
        • can define filters - create and edit filter rules
        • can define transformers - can define message templates, which builds a message tree
      • Choose destination / output data type - HL7, XML etc
      • Destination Connector Type - File Writer, SOAP, Database Writer
        Example XML message template:

        <patient>
        	<name></name>
        	<age></age>
        </patient>
        

Question: Can you pull out an XML with patient demographics and various encounters, and separate this into demographics and an HL7 message for each encounter

Answer: Possibility: split into multiple destinations, but not entirely sure. (Look at documentation)

TCP Socket vs. Web Services

• Web services have not been implemented in OpenMRS yet
• Ryan Crichton has been working on OpenMRS module:
  • Uses TCP Socket to act as interface
  • Runs through the OpenMRS API, so not direct to DB
  • Allows for validation and transformation before persisting to the DB
  • Better practice to run through the API
  • Opens up server on predefined port, and listens for messages
  • Module to do this exists, but is not yet generic or well documented
    • If module would be useful to others, can make these additions to the module

James Arbaugh's Use Case

• CSV file of patient data
• One patient per file, with multiple lab results
• Create New Channel:
  • Source - File reader with .csv file extension
  • Destination - HL7 File Writer with destination directory
  • Transformer - to convert between the two formats

Future

Look at using Mirth in conjunction with Sync