Scheduled Workflow

UML Information Flow Diagram Example

UML information flow diagram example below shows simplified information flow based on the Scheduled Workflow Integration Profile from the IHE Radiology Technical Framework.

Purpose: Show information flow associated with radiology exams and including patient registration, ordering radiology exam, exam scheduling, acquisition of images, image storage and viewing activities.

Information flow diagrams are auxiliary UML 2.x diagrams which could be used to describe circulation of information in a system in a general manner.

Scheduled Workflow (SWF) integrates the ordering, scheduling, imaging acquisition, storage and viewing activities associated with radiology exams.

Systems involved in this profile are:

• Admit-Discharge-Transfer (ADT) / Patient Registration system
• Hospital Information System (HIS)
• Radiology Information System (RIS)
• Picture Archiving and Communication System (PACS)
• Image Acquisition Modality

An example of information flow diagram for the Scheduled Workflow in radiology.

Admit-Discharge-Transfer (ADT) / Patient Registration is an enterprise-wide information system that manages patient registration and services ordering, is responsible for adding and/or updating patient demographic and encounter information. In particular, it registers a new patient with the Order Placer and Department System.

Acquisition Modality is a system that acquires and creates medical images while a patient is present, e.g., a Computed Tomography (CT) scanner, Ultrasound (US), or Nuclear Medicine (NM) camera. A modality may also create other evidence objects such as Grayscale Softcopy Presentation States (GSPS) for the consistent viewing of images or evidence documents containing measurements.

Referring physician is a doctor who sends a patient to the radiology department or clinic for testing.

Radiologist is a physician with specialized training in obtaining and interpreting medical images from the image acquisition modalities. Radiologist correlates medical image findings with other examinations and tests, recommends further examinations or treatments, and confers with referring physician. (Radiologists also treat diseases by means of radiation but it is not part of the described workflow.)