Standards are documented agreements containing technical specifications or other precise criteria to be used consistently as rules, guidelines, or definitions of characteristics, to ensure that materials, products, processes and services are fit for their purpose. There are three main organizations that create standards related to EHR- HL7, CEN TC 215 and ASTM E31. HL7, operating in the United States, develops the most widely used healthcare-related electronic data exchange standards in North America, while CEN TC 215, operating in 19 European member states, is the preeminent healthcare information technology standards developing organization in Europe.
Published in Chapter:
Overview and Analysis of Electronic Health Record Standards
Spyros Kitsiou (University of Macedonia Economic and Social Science, Greece)
Copyright: © 2009
|Pages: 20
DOI: 10.4018/978-1-60566-002-8.ch005
Abstract
A fundamental requirement for achieving continuity of care is commonly accepted to be the integration and interoperability of different clinical oriented systems towards the realization of a “longitudinal” Electronic Healthcare Record. To enable seamless integration of various kinds of IT applications into a healthcare network, a commonly accepted framework based on international relevant standards has become an urgent need. However, there is much marketplace confusion today in the healthcare domain, due to the variety of overlapping or complementary interoperability standards and initiatives, which have evolved over the years addressing integration of applications at different levels. This chapter provides a brief overview of the most relevant Electronic Healthcare Record standards, by examining the level of interoperability and functionality they provide, in terms of context, structure, access services, multimedia support, and security, to provide healthcare decision-makers and system integrators with a clear perspective regarding the capabilities and limitations of each standard.