Summary
VHA’s Solor Knowledge Architecture was created to integrate disparate knowledge sources and preserve the meaning of information for the interoperability of electronic health record data (i.e., semantic interoperability) critical to delivering safe Veteran care and leveraging standards-based clinical decision support. Solor is an open-source project of capabilities and services that overcomes interoperability complexities by assimilating disparate health knowledge sources into a consistent representation based on best practices of computer science.
Solor’s Knowledge Architecture employs the design principle called separation of concerns, whereby a system is divided into distinct sections, such that each section can address separate concerns. In this case, each architectural layer may build upon artifacts from lower layers, as described below:
Foundational Architecture of the Knowledge Architecture provides the common elements of interoperability, such as object identity, versioning, modularity, and knowledge representation.
Terminology Knowledge layer is responsible for structured sets of medical terms and codes that define concepts of interest, including descriptions, dialects, language, and semantic hierarchy.
Statement Model layer is responsible for defining how data elements are combined to create a statement. This layer reuses the artifacts defined in the Terminology Knowledge layer.
Assertional Knowledge layer uses the Terminology Knowledge layer concepts to specify non-defining facts that may be used by procedural knowledge algorithms.
Procedural Knowledge layer is responsible for information about standard ways to carry out specific procedures and other procedural guidelines, e.g., treatment protocols for diseases and order sets focused on certain patient situations.
Impact on Strategies
References
Veterans Affairs (VA) Terminology Strategy of the Health Informatics Business Line, VA/DoD Health Executive Committee. White Paper. 2021-03-12. 200728 -JCISI FINAL-v2 CDO comments 210312.1
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