Cross-Repository Copy (XRC)

1. Proposed Workitem: Cross-Repository Copy (XRC)

Proposal Editor: Charles Parisot
Editor: N/A
Date: N/A (Wiki keeps history)
Version: N/A (Wiki keeps history)
Domain: IT Infrastructue

2. The Problem

Moving documents from one affinity domain (e.g. when the Affinity Domain registry is managed by a PHR) to another is difficult and/or complex especially if one wants to retain customization, parameters and/or history of data access. Such a copy/move may be required if the patient transfers his personal record accessed from one PHR system to another PHR system belonging to a different affinity domain.

3. Key Use Case

A patient wants to copy documents from one of his/her PHR (PHR A) to an other of his/her PHR (PHR B) without having to physically move the corresponding files through a removable media while keeping customization (consents, authorized providers, etc.) and history of data access (audit trail). After having accessed PHR A using the standard procedure (connection, authentication...), he/she selects the documents to move, the target PHR (PHR B) and possibly some additional data linked to the documents to be moved along (e.g. consent documents, access rights, disclosure log...). Once the operation is validated by the user, the system managing PHR A sends the selected data (documents and possible additional data) to PHR B which includes them as if they had been submitted directly to PHR B.

4. Standards & Systems

Existing systems possibly involved in the problem/solution: XDS Affinity domains (Repository and Registry) and possibly any system allowing communication between two affinity domains (e.g. XCA gateway)

Standards possibly relevant to the solution: as for XDS profile (i.e.: ebRIM, ebRS, SOAP)

5. Discussion

There isn't any possibility to copy documents straight from one repository to another.

Directly copying documents from one PHR to another is an interoperability issue between the two PHRs. As both PHRs could be XDS Repositories/Registries operating in XDS Affinity domains, the copying of XDS documents from one XDS repository to an other XDS repository would naturally be considered as an IHE flow.

Cross repository copy should include a transaction allowing user to select documents as well as possible associated additional data to be copied to target repository/registry. It should also define the flow between the repository/registry sending the documents and the target repository so that documents seem to have been submitted to the target repository while still keeping track of the cross repository copy. Finally the target repository should be able to understand and use correctly the possible additional data associated with the copied document(s).