How are publication metadata and branding managed in DITA healthcare outputs?

November 10, 2023
|By Bryan Tipper

Managing publication metadata and branding in DITA healthcare outputs is essential for ensuring consistent and professional-looking documents. Healthcare organizations often need to publish a variety of documents, such as patient information sheets, medical reports, and instructional materials. Here’s how DITA can help manage publication metadata and branding:

1. Metadata Integration: DITA supports the inclusion of metadata within documents. Publication-specific information such as document title, author, creation date, and copyright details can be embedded using DITA elements. This metadata ensures that each document contains the necessary publication information and can be automatically updated for consistency.

Example:

Here is an example of how publication metadata can be integrated into a DITA document. The metadata elements provide details about the document’s title, author, and copyright, which can be customized for each publication:

<!-- Example: DITA Publication Metadata -->

  Medical Report - [Patient Name]
  
    Dr. [Author Name]
    © [Year] [Organization Name]
  
  <!-- Content of the medical report -->

2. Centralized Branding: DITA allows healthcare organizations to establish branding guidelines and apply them consistently across documents. Elements like headers, footers, logos, and document templates can be defined as reusable DITA components. These components ensure that every document adheres to the organization’s branding standards, presenting a professional and recognizable appearance.

Example:

Here is an example of a DITA topic defining branding elements for a healthcare document. The organization’s logo, header, and footer are structured as DITA components and can be reused across multiple documents:

<!-- Example: DITA Healthcare Branding -->

  Organization Branding
  

    organization_logo.png
    Phone: [Phone Number] | Email: [Email Address]
  

  

    © [Year] [Organization Name]
    
[Organization Address]

3. Custom Styling: Healthcare documents often require specific styling to match the organization’s visual identity. DITA supports custom styling through cascading style sheets (CSS) or specific DITA-OT configurations. This allows for the application of fonts, colors, and layout preferences to ensure a consistent and branded appearance across healthcare publications.