An innovative system for the transmission and storage of polysomnography data is proposed with the aim of creating a more efficient and globally connected system of sharing, archiving, and remotely accessing sleep studies. The system will include an open file specification, a network transmission protocol, the tools needed to translate existing software approaches into the open standard, and the establishment of a centralized sleep record database with Web 2.0 online collaboration capability and distributed workflow services. The file specification (OpenXDF) is based on XML and has been promoted and beta tested by prominent companies and research facilities in the sleep community. An organization and initiative (OpenXDF Initiative) was created to spearhead a combined effort between researchers, clinicians, and engineers to develop an interchangeable PSG data format that is used on commercially available NPSG acquisition software systems to advance the fields of polysomnography and neurology. The specification is superior to existing open file formats in that it is extensible, heavily biased towards use in a web environment, and capable of being integrated into existing commercial systems. The OpenXDF format will continue to be fine-tuned based on the suggestions received during peer reviews and the feedback compiled from the organization's website. Software development and file conversion tools will be made available to third parties for easy integration of the file format into their existing PSG software architectures. A network transmission protocol will also be developed which will allow access to sleep studies in the OpenXDF format from any computer connected to a TCP/IP network, including the Internet. Patient privacy will be preserved using access controls and strong encryption. Research methods in compression techniques and data interpolation will be employed to assemble the file on the client-end despite network latencies so that sleep studies may be seamlessly reviewed and paged remotely using low cost Internet connections. Research into Web 2.0 scripting technology will aid the development and support of a networked server hosting a database of NPSG studies to subscribed members and allowing online collaboration, open dialog among experts, and the sharing of records, scoring information, and normative PSG data within an online portal. The database and analysis back-end software will be encapsulated by a web-based application linking the records, all registered members, and the scorers with a dynamic graphical interface. The innovative system will encourage open engagement among associates of the sleep community and the vivid sharing of extensive sleep record information over many scorers in real-time. The complete project will be based on advanced development technology and concepts including interpreted languages, ATL, PHP, AJAX, and XML.
The resulting system will improve health care and advance research in sleep medicine due to the increased availability of interchangeable polysomnography data and research tools in the open market. The overall cost burden on hospitals and clinics will be reduced due to a shift in focus from equipment sales involving a large capital investment to a service-based business model with small initial deposits and monthly charges for NPSG database access, review, scoring, and analysis features. ? ? ?
