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The Detailed Clinical Model Library is a suite of logical models that underpins the national My Health Record system. 

Each Detailed Clinical Model (DCM) and Structured Content Specification (SCS) is designed to be a shared basis for data interpretation. It specifies rigorous business and technical definitions of data that systems may need to share. It is intended to be a logical specification of the data to be persisted within or communicated between systems. It is also the foundation for the compliance, conformance and declaration process. Our CDA Implementation Guides are guides to the implementation of HL7™ CDA R2® messages based upon these DCMs and SCSs.

The logical model in the Australian context

The national logical model is a complex model, rich with information that is used across our specification library. In this model, the green, yellow and red circles represent different data types or common information components.  The blue circles represent specifications – for example Event Summary and Shared Health Summary.  Both specifications have links to almost all of the data types and/or information components.  This shows the common link between specifications and the importance of understanding how change, even changes that may appear small and isolated, can have a ripple effect across our national logical model and may also impact other specifications.

Detailed Clinical Model Library

Figure 1: Detailed Clinical Model Library

Below is our high-level national logical model which provides an overview of the complex relationships between our 20+ specifications. 

Detailed Clinical Model Library - Zoomed

Figure 2: Detailed Clinical Model Library - Zoomed to Higher Level

Each DCM specifies the data components required for any use of a clinical concept; for instance, an entry in a medical record such as a procedure or imaging test. As such, they are maximal data sets. DCMs are building blocks, which are trimmed to size for use in the construction of SCSs.

Each SCS describes a template of a structured document. It specifies the data for a single type of clinical document or information exchange, such as a discharge summary. It is assembled using DCMs that have been constrained to eliminate data components not relevant to the particular context. For example, the procedure section in a discharge summary uses only some of the data components required in a specialist report.

Feature specifications

The Australian Digital Health Agency has provided the following clinical document specifications that apply to the information described above:

Roadmap

Roadmap: 
May, 2017
Completed
This release publishes new and changed models that are a result of the modelling done to support the legislative changes to update the Australian Childhood Immunisation Register to the Australian Immunisation Register. These models were developed in accordance with the requirements for the Australian Immunisation Register specification, in order to enable the production of a complete and satisfactory set of structured content specifications and CDA™ Implementation Guides.
August, 2016
Completed
New and changed models that are a result of the modelling done to support the Victorian eReferral program are included in this release. These models were developed in accordance with the requirements for the eReferral program, in order to enable the production of a complete and satisfactory set of structured content specifications and CDA™ implementation guides. These models were developed in accordance with the requirements for the eReferral program, in order to enable the production of a complete and satisfactory set of structured content specifications and CDA™ implementation guides. In addition to these changes, the miscellaneous DCMs Detailed Clinical Model specification was updated to remove the Requested Service DCM, which is now in its own publication. This change was independent of the Victorian eReferral program. All other DCMs were only updated to reflect the rebranding to the Australian Digital Health Agency.
December, 2015
Completed
This release of the Detailed Clinical Model Library publishes new and changed models that are a result of the modelling done to support the pathology and diagnostic imaging, event summaries and shared health summaries in the My Health Record system. These models were developed in accordance with the requirements for My Health Record, in order to enable the production of a complete and satisfactory set of structured content specifications and CDA implementation guides.
September, 2013
Completed
This release introduces the detailed clinical models used by the Personally Controlled Electronic Health Record (PCEHR) prescribing and dispensing documents and Child eHealth Record structured content specifications, published for the PCEHR. As a result of the modelling done to support the PCEHR prescribing and dispensing documents and child eHealth record structured content specifications for the PCEHR, a number of models have been changed and some new models added to the set of detailed clinical models. These models were developed in accordance with the requirements for the PCEHR, in order to enable the production of a complete and satisfactory set of structured content specifications and CDA implementation guides.
August, 2013
Incomplete
This release brings the Detailed Clinical Model Library up to date with models used by the initial suite of structured content specifications published for the PCEHR, by publishing updated models.