{"id":21,"date":"2023-02-24T03:51:05","date_gmt":"2023-02-24T03:51:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/asaleholland\/?p=21"},"modified":"2023-02-24T03:51:05","modified_gmt":"2023-02-24T03:51:05","slug":"a-software-engineers-exploration-of-openmrs","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogs.oregonstate.edu\/asaleholland\/2023\/02\/24\/a-software-engineers-exploration-of-openmrs\/","title":{"rendered":"A Software Engineer\u2019s Exploration of\u00a0OpenMRS"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

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OpenMRS Logo (source: Wikipedia<\/a>)<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

I. Introduction<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

OpenMRS is a free and open-source medical record system designed to support healthcare delivery in low-resource environments. It was first launched in 2004 as a collaboration between multiple organizations, including the Regenstrief Institute<\/a> and Partners In Health<\/a> (Wikipedia<\/a>). It started out being used in Kenya and Rwanda<\/a> to support HIV care. Today, OpenMRS is used in a variety of settings, including hospitals, clinics, and research organizations, and is supported by a global community of contributors. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

There are other open source medical record system applications (DHIS2<\/a> and OpenEMR<\/a> are a few big ones), and OpenMRS has been integrated into other larger systems (like Bhamni<\/a>), but I chose to dive into OpenMRS specifically because it has a widely accessible open-source developer community. The purpose of this blog post is to document my own exploration of OpenMRS from a software engineering perspective, providing insights into the code base, architecture, and testing process. My hope is that this post will serve as a valuable resource not just for me as I poke around in a system I\u2019ve wanted to learn about for some time, but also for others interested in exploring OpenMRS or working on similar projects.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

II. Exploring the OpenMRS Code Base<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

Starting with the OpenMRS Wiki<\/a>, I learned how OpenMRS is built using a three-tier system: a core data model, a java Spring API with full documentation<\/a>, and a web-based application that uses that API. The project also comes with Implementer Documentation <\/a>for those who are seeking to set up OpenMRS for actual use. <\/p>\n\n\n\n

I wanted to get a 10,000-mile overhead view of the tools of the project, and the OpenMRS documentation offers a clear path for new open-source contributors. In particular, the Development Process page<\/a> of the OpenMRS Developers Guide provides a clear step-by-step set of instructions for how to contribute to the open-source project.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

OpenMRS\u2019 core data model is built using a concept dictionary meant to define all the unique concepts used in the system. I\u2019m a budding enthusiast of domain-driven design, and this immediately struck me as to how ubiquitous language from a DDD perspective should be defined.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

III. Understanding the OpenMRS Architecture<\/h3>\n\n\n\n

The core domains of the core OpenMRS data model are as follows:<\/p>\n\n\n\n