Standards

A definition A standard is a collection of specifications that has been endorsed by some group so that they may all agree on these issues and therefore, share data.

The need for standards The organisation and delivery of health care services requires information-intensive effort. There is a need for sharing data among functionally and technically diverse computer applications across care settings. The ability to communicate information or data between health care computer application systems is critical for providing quality health care.

Methods of standard development De facto: an informal standard that is so widely used that it is accepted as the standard: –Microsoft Windows operating system –TCP/IP (transmission control protocol/Internet protocol) for computer networks. De jure: standards produced by organisations who have been authorised to do so: –ISO: International Organisation for Standarisation –CEN: European Committee for Standarisation.

Standards in health care AS/NZS ISO 9001:2000: Quality management systems— Requirements. Standards for the development and implementation of a Quality Management System. HB 174—2003, Information security management— Implementation guide for the health sector. Handbook for use in the initiation, implementation and maintenance of information security measures within a health business. AS/NZS 4360:2004: Risk management. This standard provides an overall generic risk management perspective. AS —2005, Implementation of Health Level Seven (HL7) Version 2.4 — Patient administration. Standards to guide the development of messaging technologies to be used for data interchange.

HL7: an organisation A not-for-profit volunteer organisation It develops specifications (standards or protocol) for the exchange of electronic health care information in clinical settings HL7 has international affiliates in Germany, the Netherlands, Finland, Canada, New Zealand, Australia and Japan to ensure concurrence with international standards development activities.

Overview of goals of HL7 Develop standards that permit health information to be exchanged between computer applications Develop a formal methodology to support the creation of HL7 standards Educate stakeholders concerning the benefits standardisation Promote the use of HL7 standards worldwide Collaborate with other organisations sanctioning bodies to promote the use compatible standards Collaborate with health care IT users to ensure that HL7 standards meet real-world requirements.

HL7: a messaging standard HL7 is a messaging standard that enables different health care applications to exchange data. It is a voluntary standard that ensures consensus, openness, and a balance of interest of users and producers of health care information systems. It was proposed as a standard interface to maximize the exchange of electronic health care information between systems.

HL7: a messaging standard In the OSI conceptual model, communication functions are divided into seven layers: –Level 7 Application –Level 6 Presentation –Level 5 Session –Level 4 Transport –Level 3 Network –Level 2 Data Link –Level 1 Physical ‘Level 7’ refers to the highest level of the OSI model of the International Standards Organization (ISO).

About HL7 For details about the standard and how it works, visit the HL7 Systems and Services (Australia) web site: