A technical book usually implies a dry subject. So its no surprise authors have a hard time figuring out ways to make the book interesting to the reader. HL7 is one such subject. It is a subject that is so high on the scale of dryness and no one comes to it willingly. The only reason someone would read a book on HL7 is because of his or her job. And if you are here, reading this book, then I assume you work in healthcare IT or intend to join the industry soon.
I have made every effort to take out the dryness of the subject and make this book interesting. There are no needless jargons or esoteric concepts thrown casually to trip you. In fact, you will see a heavy reliance on everyday examples and inclusion of background information to paint a complete picture. But HL7 and healthcare system integration are complex subjects so there will be topics that don’t make sense right away. Please persevere. Tie a knot and hang in there. Gradually things will make sense.
This introductory book on HL7 goes in detail to explain what HL7 is. It gives you the basic concepts, tells you about the organization behind it and helps you create a mental map of the voluminous HL7 specification document. And, it takes you through a whirlwind tour of some of the most commonly used HL7 messages, all in a short span of time.
