Empirical evaluation of international health system data interoperability: Mapping the Wanda Horta theory to the Omaha System ontology

Structured health care data has played a critical role in improving quality of care and achieving better patient outcomes. Despite increased use of terminology standards within the electronic health records (EHRs), there is a need to map multi-institutional data that represent patient observations to develop standardized information models. The purpose of this study was to conduct an empirical evaluation of the potential for international health system data interoperability with the Wanda Horta theory using the Omaha System ontology. The 2 frameworks were mapped and validated by a panel of experts. The results showed that the majority (80.95%) of the Wanda Horta theory concepts were mapped at a high level of agreement. Such mappings show that the information models have the potential to facilitate and enhance communication and improve practices between organizations internationally.