Appendix B: OpenMRS Glossary
Allergy list: A series of allergies from which a patient suffers.
Apache Maven: A build management tool used for OpenMRS development.
Bamboo: A continuous Integration (CI) tool used by OpenMRS.
Bug: A repeatable error or flaw in a program that causes an unexpected or incorrect result.
Bundled module: An OpenMRS module that is prepackaged with an OpenMRS release.
Clinician: A doctor, nurse, or other clinical officer who provides health care to patients.
Cohort: A group of patients that can be defined by one or more common traits.
Contributor: Any community member who participates and contributes towards the OpenMRS community.
Core: The source code for the OpenMRS API and core modules. The core does not include the source code for other, optional modules.
Concept: The fundamental unit of capturing clinical information within OpenMRS. Concepts represent a single idea and include both questions and answers. "cough", "address", "duration", and "yes" are a few examples.
Concept dictionary: A list of all the medical and program-related terms used in OpenMRS as questions and answers.
Eclipse: A multi-language, open source Integrated Development Environment (IDE) recommended for OpenMRS development
Customization: The idea of adapting a system to suit one's specific, particular needs.
Demo data: A sample anonymized data set, including 5,000 patients and 500,000 observations, is available for most releases of OpenMRS.
Electronic Medical Record: A digital version of a paper chart/document used to record patient data.
Electronic Medical Record system : A computer system that allows for recording, storage, and retrieval of Electronic Medical Records.
Encounter: A clinical transaction in which a group of data (e.g., observations, notes, and orders) are recorded. Encounters generally involve one (or a few) providers. Examples include the paper "encounter form" with which OpenMRS started, an order entry session, a daily note & associated orders written for patient while they are in the hospital, etc.
F/LOSS, FOSS, etc.: Free/libre and open source software. Software is freely licensed to use, copy, change and distribute. OpenMRS is licensed under the OpenMRS Public License based on the Mozilla Public License.
Form: An electronic form that may be used to enter or view data for a patient.
Git: A distributed version control system (DVCS) that allows multiple developers to works simultaneously on a project without the need for a common network connection.
GitHub: A web based hosting service for software development projects that use the Git revision control system. The OpenMRS source code is hosted on GitHub at http://github.com/openmrs
Groovy: A computer scripting language that allows automation and quick performance of tasks.
Hibernate: An object relational mapping (ORM) library for the Java language used by OpenMRS.
HL7: An abbreviation of Health Level Seven, a standard for exchanging information between medical applications.
Implementer: Someone who has or is in process of deploying OpenMRS in a specific location or context of use.
Informatics: The application and study of information technology and its use for society.
IRC: An abbreviation for Internet Relay Chat, an online tool to communicate with others in "real time". OpenMRS uses IRC to allow developers and implementers to collaborate and meet. http://go.openmrs.org/irc
JIRA: An issue tracking /project management tool use by OpenMRS. Accessible at: https://tickets.openmrs.org/
jRebel: A Java development-time tool that decreases turnaround by instantly reloading changes to your code, without having to restart the container or redeploy the application.
Mailing list: A collection a sub group of community members' e-mail addresses.
Medical informatics: A discipline of studying the use of informatics in field of medical science.
Module: A software package that extends or changes OpenMRS functionality without interfering with core OpenMRS code and have full access to OpenMRS.
Module repository: An online resource to find and maintain community-developed OpenMRS add-on modules. http://modules.openmrs.org/
MySQL: An open source relational database management system (RDMS) popular with web application and used by OpenMRS.
Observation: An atomic unit of information that is recorded about a patient at a moment in time.
Open source: A method of developing software where the source code is freely available for others to examine, use, and build upon. Also a type of software development community based around sharing of work and collaboration.
Platform: A computer system that is simple by design, and is intended to be customized and adapted for use in a wide variety of contexts.
Privilege: Defines what actions an authenticated user is allowed to perform within OpenMRS.
Provider: A clinician who is responsible for providing care to a patient.
Spring Framework: An open source application framework and inversion of control container used by OpenMRS.
Sprint: A semi-agile process adopted by OpenMRS for implementing new features in a coordinated and speedy manner.
Super user: An OpenMRS user with permission to perform all management tasks in the application.
System administrator: A person who is responsible for day-to-day maintenance of a computer system or network.
User: A person who uses OpenMRS, or more specifically the data in the system representing that person.
Visit: A visit encompasses one or more encounters to describe an event where the patient has interacted with the healthcare system. Visits may occur within minutes/hours or may extend over days, weeks, or even months. Examples of visits include an outpatient (clinic) visit, a hospitalization, or a visit to the lab.
Wiki: A web site containing documentation and other resources for a project or organization.
Workflow: A series of tasks to accomplish a goal.
YourKit: A CPU and memory Java Profiler with J2EE/J2ME support and IDE integration for various major Java IDEs.
For an up to date version of this glossary visit: https://wiki.openmrs.org/display/docs/OpenMRS+Glossary