Content uploaded by Alexander Hörbst
Author content
All content in this area was uploaded by Alexander Hörbst on Nov 08, 2016
Content may be subject to copyright.
The ISO/IEC 9126-1 as a Supporting
Means for the System Development
Process of a Patient Information Web
Service
Alexander Hörbsta, Kerstin Finka, Georg Goebelb
aLeopold-Franzens University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
bMedical University Innsbruck, Innsbruck, Austria
Abstract:
The development of patient information systems faces the mayor problems of
increasing and more complex content as well as the introduction of new techniques
of system implementation. An integrated development demands for a method to deal
with both aspects. The ISO/IEC 9126-1 offers a framework where both views can be
integrated to a general view of the system and can be used as a basis for further
development. This article wants to introduce the ISO/IEC 9126-1 as a supporting
means for the development of patient information systems considering the example
of a web service for a patient information system.
Keywords:
Patient information system; ISO/IEC 9126; System development; Functional design; Technical design, Web
service
1. Introduction
Patient information systems are becoming more and more important as the amount of
information available on the health sector increases steadily [5]. But not only the
availability and increasing amount of information determine the importance of patient
information systems. Also the increasing need for organising and structuring the available
information centres the development of patient information systems.
Apart from content concerns new techniques and concepts like Web Services or the
Semantic Web technology offer a whole new range of applications to patient information
systems [4,6]. Therefore also implicate increased demands on the development of patient
information systems.
This states that the development of patient information systems faces two mayor
challenges [6]:
xThe process of system development must comply with the increasing complexity
and amount of available content.
xThe development has to integrate new available techniques in the implementation
process of the system.
This implies that the cooperation of persons from different fields like computer science or
medicine as well as the integration of their interests is a crucial factor for the success in
Connecting Medical Informatics and Bio-Informatics
R. Engelbrecht et al. (Eds.)
IOS Press, 2005
© 2005 EFMI – European Federation for Medical Informatics. All rights reserved.
967
developing such systems [3,7]. The need for cooperation and integration leads to the
problem of organising those teams from different fields in a system development process.
2. The ISO/IEC 9126
The ISO/IEC 9126 is a considerable norm for the evaluation of software products and was
issued by the International Standardization Organisation in cooperation with the
International Electrotechnical Commission in the year 2001. The norm divides into 4 parts:
xPart 1: Quality model
xPart 2: External metrics
xPart 3: Internal metrics
xPart 4: Quality in use metrics
The first part of the norm, the quality model, primarily deals with the establishment of a
system of characteristics and subcharacteristics for the definition of software quality.
The second, third and fourth part of the norm deal with the development of criteria for the
actual measurement of the characteristics defined in part one.
In this context only the first part of the ISO/IEC 9126 is to be considered important for the
support in the development of patient information systems. This can be traced back to the
fact that the first part provides consistent terminology through the definition of
characteristics and subcharacteristics for software product quality. These characteristics
also provide a framework for specifying quality requirements for software, and making
trade-offs between software product capabilities.[1]
Figure 1 – External and internal quality characteristics [1]
The first part of the ISO 9126 is furthermore divided in 2 parts where the first part deals
with external and internal quality and the second part covers quality in use. Quality in use
offers characteristics how the quality of the system can be described from the user’s point
of view in a specific context or environment. Whereas internal and external quality
requirements specify the level of required quality from the internal/external view of the
product.[1] Figure one shows all the characteristics and subcharacteristics defined by the
ISO 9126 for internal and external quality.
3. A Web Service for a patient information system
Figure 2 and figure 3 show the actual implementation of the ISO 9126-1 in the
development of a Web Service for a patient information system.
The figures show the characteristics und subcharacteristics of the ISO 9126 as well as an
extract from the developed requirements for this Web Service going from the root to the
A. Hörbst et al. / The ISO/IEC 9126-1 as a Supporting Means968
branches of the mind map. This list of requirements is not exhaustive. It should exemplify
how the ISO 9126 can be used in an actual system development process. The concept of
this Web Service was developed in [2] and aimed for the development of a Web Service to
assist a patient during the process of a breast cancer treatment. The idea for the Web
Service is based on a scenario which was developed together with physicians from the
University Hospital in Innsbruck [8].
Figure 2 – Part 1: Actual implementation of the ISO 9126 in a Web Service for a patient
information system
Figure 3 – Part 2: Actual implementation of the ISO 9126 in a Web Service for a patient
information system
The figures show that the ISO 9126-1 with its terminology renders a structured approach
for the developing team possible.
4. Discussion
The use of the ISO 9126 has a great impact on the system development process and helps to
solve and assist respectively in solving several problems during the development process:
A. Hörbst et al. / The ISO/IEC 9126-1 as a Supporting Means 969
xThe ISO 9126-1 provides the developing team with a consistent terminology and
structure and offers a proofed framework.
xThe norm helps with the definition of clear objectives for the further steps of the
development process of the system.
xIt can be used as a basis for a system specification.
xThe ISO 9126 addresses functional as well as technical aspects in its framework.
xThe integration of external and internal quality characteristics gives a complete
overview of the system.
xThe Framework can be used in different levels of development cause of the general
terminology. This means that the ISO can be used as an accompanying throughout
the whole development process.
However the ISO 9126 itself isn’t sufficient to be solely used to describe all requirements
of a patient information system in detail. The ISO 9126 can only be used as an initial
means, to provide the further methods of system development with a structured basis of
information.
5. Outlook
As mentioned in paragraph four, the ISO 9126 assists in the system development process
but can not be used solely for the system description. The next step should be to define a
complete system development process based on the use of the ISO 9126 as well as to
further elaborate the characteristics and subcharacteristics given by the norm to better
match the specific needs of the system development process in patient information system
and health information systems respectively.
6. References
[1] International Organization for Standardization: ISO/IEC 9126 Software engineering – Product quality –
Part1: Quality model. 15/06/2001.
[2] Hoerbst, A.: The use of Web Services with health information systems. 06/09/2004
[3] Balzert, Lehrbuch der Software-Technik, Spektrum akademischer Verlag, Heidelberg 1998
[4] Chaudhary, A.S.; Saleem, M.A.; Bukhari, H.Z.: Web Services in Distributed Applications Advantages
and Problems. 2002. URL: http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/548303.html [01/10/2004].
[5] Goebel, G.: A Datamodel for an Austrian Comsumer Health Information System. Dissertation Innsbruck
University. 04/2002.
[6] Miksch, S.; Cheng, K.; Hayes-Roth, B.: An Intelligent Assistant for Patient Health Care. 1996.
URL: http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/miksch96intelligent.html [01/10/2004].
[7] National Library of Medicine: Medical Subject Headings. 15/04/2004;
URL: http://www.nlm.nih.gov/mesh/meshhome.html [01/10/2004].
[8] Szolovits, P.; Doyle, J.; Long, W.J.: Guardian Angel: Patient Centered Health Information Systems.
1994. URL: http://citeseer.ist.psu.edu/szolovits94guardian.html [01/10/2004].
Address for correspondence:
Dr. Georg Goebel, Dept of Medical Statistics, Informatics and Health Economics, Medical University of
Innsbruck, Schoepfstrasse 41, A-6020 Innsbruck, Austria, Email: Georg.Goebel@uibk.ac.at
A. Hörbst et al. / The ISO/IEC 9126-1 as a Supporting Means970
