Menu
Home
People
Places
Arts
History
Plants & Animals
Science
Life & Culture
Technology
Reference.org
Clinical data standards
open-in-new
<h2 id="clinical-data-standards-and-interoperability">Clinical data standards and interoperability</h2> <p>Interoperability between disparate clinical information systems requires common data standards or mapping of every transaction. </p><p>However common data standards alone will not provide interoperability, and the other requirements are identified in <i>"How Standards will Support Interoperability"</i> from the Faculty of Clinical Informatics<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:2" href="#fn:2"><sup>2</sup></a> and <i>"Interoperability is more than technology: The role of culture and leadership in joined-up care"</i> from the King's Fund<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:3" href="#fn:3"><sup>3</sup></a> </p> <h2 id="barriers-to-development-and-use">Barriers to development and use</h2> <p>Barriers to the widespread adoption of effective data standards include: </p> <ul><li>inconsistency in and poor understanding of the concepts and language used in clinical practice, for example compared to those in chemistry or accounting</li> <li>rival systems of standards</li> <li>the cost of implementation or change to better standards</li> <li>avoidance of commercial competition.</li></ul> <h2 id="existing-and-proposed-clinical-data-standards">Existing and proposed clinical data standards</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Integrating_the_Healthcare_Enterprise/BmtoloGk">Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Omaha_System/6Ju4dMwI">Omaha System</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/SNOMED/Px5Svo4e">SNOMED</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/SNOMED_CT/stX0X6tk">SNOMED CT</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/ASC_X12/yVMzQ1zs">ASC X12</a> (<a href="/facts/Electronic_Data_Interchange/ydnn0fTW">EDI</a>) – transaction protocols used for transmitting patient data. Popular in the United States for transmission of <a href="/facts/Invoice/Ad1XP7qp">billing</a> data.</li> <li><a href="/facts/European_Committee_for_Standardization/BwwUrMgy">CEN</a>'s TC/251 provides EHR standards in Europe including: <ul><li><a href="/facts/EN_13606/5U18q5BX">EN 13606</a>, communication standards for EHR information</li> <li><a href="/facts/CONTSYS/LyKotekC">CONTSYS</a> (EN 13940), supports continuity of care record standardization.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Health_Informatics_Service_Architecture/PCoxpJUf">HISA</a> (EN 12967), a services standard for inter-system communication in a clinical information environment.</li></ul></li> <li><a href="/facts/Continuity_of_Care_Record/q28kXgxU">Continuity of Care Record</a> – ASTM International Continuity of Care Record standard</li> <li><a href="/facts/DICOM/BsEVLh79">DICOM</a> – an international communications protocol standard for representing and transmitting radiology (and other) image-based data, sponsored by <a href="/facts/National_Electrical_Manufacturers_Association/cvHPsFIm">NEMA</a> (National Electrical Manufacturers Association)</li> <li><a href="/facts/Health_Level_7/B4QPUQP0">HL7 (HL7v2, C-CDA)</a> – a standardized messaging and text communications protocol between hospital and <a href="/facts/Physician/qJ3woFvG">physician</a> record systems, and between <a href="/facts/Medical_practice_management_software/SnUEFUrV">practice management systems</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Fast_Healthcare_Interoperability_Resources/lJ0tVfT6">Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources</a> (FHIR) – a modernized proposal from <a href="/facts/HL7/B4QPUQP0">HL7</a> designed to provide open, granular access to medical information</li> <li><a href="/facts/International_Organization_for_Standardization/IacYR7Yg">ISO</a> – <a href="/facts/ISO_TC_215/WLfJ49cr">ISO TC 215</a> provides international technical specifications for EHRs. ISO 18308 describes EHR architectures</li> <li><a href="/facts/XDT/x0lf6rLV">xDT</a> – a family of data exchange formats for medical purposes that is used in the German public health system.</li> <li><a href="/facts/OpenEHR/PbQnY4Qb">openEHR</a>: an open community developed specification for a shared health record with web-based content developed online by experts. Strong multilingual capability.</li> <li><a href="/facts/Virtual_Medical_Record/lwE5LGq2">Virtual Medical Record</a>: HL7's proposed model for interfacing with clinical decision support systems.</li> <li>SMART (Substitutable Medical Apps, reusable technologies): an open platform specification to provide a standard base for healthcare applications.<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:4" href="#fn:4"><sup>4</sup></a></li> <li>Sentinel Common Data Model: Initially started as Mini-Sentinel in 2008. Use by the <a href="/facts/Sentinel_Initiative/jk7IIqa7">Sentinel Initiative</a> of the USA's <a href="/facts/Food_and_Drug_Administration/rCEnh9WB">Food and Drug Administration</a>.</li> <li>OMOP Common Data Model: model that defines how electronic health record data, medical billing data or other healthcare data from multiple institutions can be harmonized and queried in unified way. It is maintained by <a href="/facts/Observational_Health_Data_Sciences_and_Informatics/AuDhXS3d">Observational Health Data Sciences and Informatics</a> consortium.</li> <li>PCORNet Common Data Model: First defined in 2014 and used by <a href="/facts/PCORI/1kIx0ARv">PCORI</a> and People-Centered Research Foundation.</li> <li>Virtual Data Warehouse: First defined in 2006 by HMO Research Network. Since 2015, by Health Care System Research Network.</li></ul> <h2 id="previous-standards-projects-and-bodies">Previous standards, projects and bodies</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Health_Metrics_Network/NDFLpewQ">Health Metrics Network</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Read_code/jb2KQDFG">Read code</a></li> <li>ASTM E1238</li></ul> <h2 id="bodies-working-in-the-field">Bodies working in the field</h2> <ul><li><a href="/facts/Health_Level_Seven_International/jNISkHWa">Health Level Seven International</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/International_Health_Terminology_Standards_Development_Organisation/dBtQDBMY">International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/Professional_Record_Standards_Body/z8VcPGjk">Professional Record Standards Body</a></li> <li><a href="/facts/NHS_England/D7VyMdzt">NHS England</a>, which provides a Data Standards Directory<a class="footnote-ref" id="fnref:5" href="#fn:5"><sup>5</sup></a></li></ul> <h2 id="references">References</h2> <ol> <li id="fn:1"><p>"Internet protocol suite". Retrieved 26 December 2022. <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_protocol_suite" target="_blank">https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_protocol_suite</a> <a href="#fnref:1" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:2"><p>"How Standards Will Support Interoperability". Faculty of Clinical Informatics. Retrieved 26 December 2022. <a href="https://facultyofclinicalinformatics.org.uk/blog/faculty-of-clinical-informatics-news-1/post/how-standards-will-support-interoperability-90" target="_blank">https://facultyofclinicalinformatics.org.uk/blog/faculty-of-clinical-informatics-news-1/post/how-standards-will-support-interoperability-90</a> <a href="#fnref:2" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:3"><p>"Interoperability is more than technology: The role of culture and leadership in joined-up care". The King's Fund. Retrieved 26 December 2022. <a href="https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/digital-interoperability-technology" target="_blank">https://www.kingsfund.org.uk/publications/digital-interoperability-technology</a> <a href="#fnref:3" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:4"><p>"About". smartplatforms.org. Archived from the original on 10 April 2012. Retrieved 20 March 2012. <a href="https://web.archive.org/web/20120410095417/http://www.smartplatforms.org/about-2/" target="_blank">https://web.archive.org/web/20120410095417/http://www.smartplatforms.org/about-2/</a> <a href="#fnref:4" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> <li id="fn:5"><p>"Find standards to record, handle and exchange data in England". <a href="https://data.standards.nhs.uk" target="_blank">https://data.standards.nhs.uk</a> <a href="#fnref:5" class="footnote-back-ref">↩</a></p></li> </ol>