How are medical DITA specializations documented and communicated within healthcare organizations?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Documentation and communication of medical DITA specializations within healthcare organizations are essential for ensuring consistency and alignment with industry-specific standards and practices. Healthcare organizations typically employ a structured approach to document and communicate DITA specializations to various stakeholders involved in the content creation process.

One common method is the use of DITA specialization documentation guides. These guides provide comprehensive information about the organization’s specific DITA specializations, including detailed descriptions of each specialization, content models, element definitions, and usage guidelines. They serve as a reference for authors and content creators, helping them understand how to use the specialized elements effectively. Below is an example of how such documentation might be structured:

<!-- Example of DITA Specialization Documentation Guide -->
<topic>
  <title>DITA Specializations for Healthcare Documentation</title>
  <shortdesc>A comprehensive guide to the DITA specializations used in healthcare documentation.</shortdesc>
  <body>
    <section>
      <title>Specialization: Medication Information</title>
      <shortdesc>Use this specialization for documenting medication information.</shortdesc>
      <ul>
        <li><p>Element: <medication-info></p>
        <li><p>Description: This element contains information about a medication.</p>
        <li><p>Child Elements: <medication-name>, <medication-dosage>, <medication-side-effects>, <medication-instructions></p>
        <li><p>Usage Guidelines: Provide details about the medication's name, dosage, side effects (if applicable), and usage instructions.</p>
      </ul>
    </section>
    <section>
      <title>Specialization: Patient Records</title>
      <shortdesc>Use this specialization for creating patient records.</shortdesc>
      <ul>
        <li><p>Element: <patient-record></p>
        <li><p>Description: This element captures detailed patient information.</p>
        <li><p>Child Elements: <patient-name>, <patient-details>, <patient-history>, <patient-diagnosis></p>
        <li><p>Usage Guidelines: Populate the patient record with patient's name, details, medical history, and diagnosis information.</p>
      </ul>
    </section>
  </body>
</topic>

Additionally, healthcare organizations may use internal training sessions, workshops, and knowledge-sharing platforms to communicate DITA specializations to their staff. This facilitates a collaborative environment where authors and content creators can ask questions, seek clarification, and share their experiences in using specialized DITA elements for medical documentation.