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X-Bundle Registry

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X-Bundle in a nutshell

1. What is an X-Bundle?

An X-Bundle is defined as a "targeted aggregation of assets (and artifacts) that support interoperability within and between health systems," based on EHRxF specifications. In essence, an X-Bundle provides a coherent set of assets tailored to specific business use cases and interoperability requirements to drive digital transformation in healthcare.

Here’s a breakdown of terms used:

In other, less formal words, an X-Bundle is a collection of digital tools, specifications, and informational resources—not only technical—that support users in adopting the EHR exchange format.
Example of X-Bundle assets
Figure 1: Example of types of assets belonging to an X-Bundle

2. X-Bundle Characteristics

To fulfill its scope, an X-Bundle should be:

  • Scalable: Capable of growing and adapting to meet evolving interoperability needs.
  • Reusable: Designed for application across various use cases and scenarios.
  • Searchable: Easily navigable to locate specific assets and artifacts.
  • Relationship-Driven: Able to support the management of relationships between assets, ensuring seamless interoperability.
Reusable X-Bundles
Figure 2: X-Bundle Characteristics

2.1 Scalability

X-Bundles must be scalable to accommodate a variety of use cases. For example, retrieving a document from a repository may require different specifications than searching for laboratory reports by test type or enabling cross-border data access.

Scalability of X-Bundles
Figure 3: X-Bundle scalability

2.2 Reusability

To ensure scalability and avoid unnecessary duplication, X-Bundles should be designed to enable the reuse of standardized assets and artifacts.

Reusable X-Bundles
Figure 4: X-Bundles as a collection of reusable assets

2.3 Searchability

Users should be able to navigate X-Bundles and quickly access relevant assets and artifacts.

This is facilitated by a metadata framework that enriches assets with contextual information and potential search parameters.

Searchable X-Bundles
Figure 5: X-Bundles as a network of reusable and searchable assets

2.4 Relationship-Driven

X-Bundles are not isolated monoliths; rather, they are composable and interact with other X-Bundles. Therefore, they should support various types of relationships — such as specialization, usage, and composition — to facilitate reuse and enable scalability.

X-Bundle Relationship Management
Figure 6: X-Bundle relationship management

X-Bundles as a network of reusable and searchable assets

X-Bundles are designed to be a network of reusable and searchable assets and artifacts, helping to meet specific needs in the healthcare domain and facilitating interoperability within and between systems.

X-Bundles as a network of reusable and searchable assets
Figure 7: X-Bundles as a network of reusable and searchable assets