Multinational interoperable EHR systems are the next phase of health record documentation. Although new technologies are needed to develop and sustain the next stage, the concept of transnational interoperable systems is not new. Ancient civilizations overcame multinational documentation and reporting challenges without modern technologies, leaving a precedent for leaders today. The integrated, interoperable world today is the result of the development and decisions of the great empire of the past. Like modern societies, old empires faced many hardships and challenges and developed multinational systems to overcome them. Chapter 3 reflects on the Mesopotamian, Ancient Egyptian, and Roman Empires and their global streamlining documentation processes.
TopKing Sargon Of Akkad
King Sargon of Akkad ruled Mesopotamia ruled from 2334 to 2279 BCE and is considered by many to be the ruler of the first global empire (Alexander, 2017). Comparable to 17th and 18th-century empires and international leaders, King Sargon ruled the Sumerian, Akkadian, Babylonian, Assyrian, and Median empires, uniting them under one centralized multinational, multicultural, and multilingual Mesopotamian Empire (Petrovich, 2013).
Common to modern multinational unions or organizations, the Mesopotamian Empire comprised multiple demographic groups, cultures, languages, and religions. Comparable to modern societies, the Mesopotamians were cosmopolitan people who travelled internationally, enjoyed the benefits of multinational trade through the Euphrates River, required robust logistics and storage systems, and fought wars and the ensuing citizen migrations. In addition, as 21st-century nations, the Mesopotamians purchased land abroad, culturally intermarried, and enjoyed the benefits of their multinational trade system through the Euphrates River.
The Euphrates River was a primary and well-established Mesopotamian trade route where nations such as Sumeria traded wool, cloth, jewelry, oil, and grains with other Mesopotamian countries and trading partners outside the empire. Apart from the apparent advances in modern technology, there is very little difference between King Sargon and global leaders today. In fact, by comparison, it is evident that King Sargon ruled the world's first superpower and faced the ensuing challenges of leading a powerful government, such as documenting trade, administrative policies, and, most importantly, healthcare, all recorded on Cuneiform tablets.
The 21st-century international community is composed of alliances, treaties, multinational trade, military, business, political, and social conglomerates operating under the leadership of global acronymic organizations such as the Asia-Pacific Trade Agreement (APTA), the European Union (EU), the African Union (AU), the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the United-States-Mexico-Canada Agreement (USMCA), and the global governing body, the United Nations (UN) (Carter, 2019). Because the worldwide population was smaller yet complex, the Mesopotamian Empire comprised modern Iraq, Iran, Syria, and Turkey. Like modern 21st-century empires, unions, and alliances today, Mesopotamia flourished and accumulated great wealth and power through global trade, travel, colonization, and conquest. Also, like modern unions and coalitions today, Mesopotamia endured challenges and hardships, such as documenting the spread and treatment of infections.