Delphi read data from spirolabIII device using HL7

Question

I have already developed a Clinic management application for Allergy Control Clinics which stores patients' medical files and test results in a database and generates reports for analysis.

there's a section for storing spirometry results in the database. currently i get results from an Excel file which is exported by WinspiroPro (the application that comes with spirolab devices) and store them in the database.

few days ago i came across the word "HL7" which seems to be a Standard protocol for communicating with these medical devices, so i can directly get the results from the device using Delphi.

also in spirolab device user manual it is mentioned that the device is compatible with this system.

now my question is, how can I implement this system (HL7) in delphi?

Thanks

Answer 1

As is usual with these kind of inter-professional standards, you need to pay to get them, at least on http://www.hl7.org in this case.

If I search around on the net, there may be existing tools that you can use, or have a look how they work internally:

• http://code.ohloh.net/search?s=HL7
• https://code.google.com/hosting/search?q=HL7&sa=Search
• http://sourceforge.net/directory/?q=HL7

Answer 2

HL7 is not bound to a specific transport layer. It is a protocol on the application level, the seventh layer of the ISO 7-layer-model, hence Level 7. It describes messages and the events, when this messages should be send.

It just gives some recommendations how to do message transfer on the subjacent layers, eg MLLP with tcp socket communication. But in principle you are free to use any transport layers you want, may it be direct socket communication, file transfer or what ever.

Although most systems now can use tcp, it is also possible to use HL7 with different underlying transport protocols as RS232. If I remember right, there was also an example about message transfer / coupling with RS232 in the implementation guides of the documentation. And yes, the documentation and protocol standard documetation is free after registering.

Did you ask your provider for the WinspiroPRO version with HL7 ability? Maybe it supports already socket communication with tcp.
Otherwise you either need access to the sourcecode of ldTCPCClient and replace the tcp part with an RS232 part or you have to use a software just for parsing/building (unmarshalling/marshalling) of HL7 messages together with a software, that handles the transportation level.
By the way, just from the name, I guess that ldTCPclient is not apt for your need, as you will probably need a host and not a client component.