Version control is a crucial aspect of managing shared content components in DITA medical documentation. It ensures that changes and updates are tracked, allowing content creators to collaborate effectively and maintain consistency across documents.

1. Revision History: Version control in DITA involves maintaining a revision history for each shared content component. This history records details such as the date of modification, the author, and a brief description of the change. By referencing this history, content creators can review the evolution of the component and understand when and why changes were made.

Example:

Here’s an example of how version control information is included in a shared DITA content component:

<!-- Example: Revision History for a Shared Content Component -->
<revhistory>
  <revision>
    <revnumber>1.0</revnumber>
    <date>2023-11-05</date>
    <author>John Smith</author>
    <changes>Initial creation of content component.</changes>
  </revision>
  <revision>
    <revnumber>1.1</revnumber>
    <date>2023-11-10</date>
    <author>Mary Johnson</author>
    <changes>Updated content component with new medical research findings.</changes>
  </revision>
</revhistory>

In this example, the revision history provides a clear record of changes made to the shared content component, helping content creators understand its evolution and purpose.

2. Collaborative Editing: Version control enables multiple content creators to collaborate on shared content components. DITA tools often support concurrent editing, allowing different team members to work on the same component simultaneously while keeping track of each person’s contributions. This collaborative approach helps maintain content consistency and keeps it up-to-date.