ABSTRACT
Although the patient’s paper-based medical records can be scanned and transferred between the providers in a standard image format, it will not ful ll the functional requirements of the EHRs, that is, the image data cannot form the electronically exchanged medical data that can support analysis and decision making. ere is a large variety of the potential functions supported by the databases and content of EHRs. e sharing of information between the providers introduces new questions and challenges concerning the data to be exchanged and their format. Text-based EHRs contain large amount of data and provide opportunities for analysis (both quantitative and qualitative). However, programming skills are required. Similarly, the use of standardized diagnostic images creates a scope of storing digital multimedia content and other media as well. It will simplify the data sharing and improve interoperability.
