An open framework for a multimedia medical document system (a multimedia document system framework)

A novel and generalized open framework for multimedia information manipulation is proposed. The document system consists of functional modules for capturing, storing and presenting multimedia data. These modules work independently and communicate through a HyperDocument Interface layer. The modular approach has the added advantage of easy-to-maintain and the convenience for future enhancements. Hypermedia and temporal-spatial relationships between document media nodes are embedded into the data structure to support flexible presentation of multimedia information. Windows and a specially designed Document Tree Dialog provide an environment for efficient and user-friendly information retrieval. Other system issues such as security and customization are also addressed in the design. Based on this approach, a medical multimedia document system to handle cardiac catheterization record (CCR) was designed as a demonstration for the research idea. The proposed design can be applied and extended to cover a variety of multimedia applications.