Research project NO/A/002 (Research action NO)
Context
This study fits within initiatives for standardisation in the area of Medical Informatics and Telematics. The Health Care sector represents a major market, and one which is currently also undergoing a process of rationalisation. In these reforms, the new information and telecommunication technologies as well as standards are generally recognised as very important aids for arriving at more efficient systems to manage information in health care.
Today in the health care sector there is a growing need for integration of heterogeneous systems and electronic transmission of data. The necessity of integrating systems and the communication of information in this sector becomes clear when one considers the various interested parties and the multitude of applications and their importance. The potential exchange of information between heterogeneous and independent information systems in hospitals, technical departments, private medical offices, public services and industry is extremely large. The very nature of the information in health care is characterised by enormous diversity.
Through the growing facilities for public administrations, the government in health care, research centres studying the effectiveness of medical treatments and policymakers to exchange critical information, the telematics and informatics standards in the health care sector will constitute an indirect but important aid for improving the health of individual patients.
From this perspective, standardisation within Medical Informatics may be regarded as a paradigm for other sectors. It can also be regarded as a unique opportunity, given Belgium's already-existing expertise and its leading role in this particular area of standardisation.
Common objectives and strategies must be defined from both the political health care policy and the industry and the users.
The project
The objectives of this project included (among others):
- the preparation of an inventory of the standardisation requirements in the area of informatics within the health care sector, including the priorities of the needs, feasibility of the tasks and a study of already-existing solutions.
- the preparation of an inventory of existing relationships between pre-normative research projects and standardisation activities.
- a study of the possibility of integrating complementary standards which span different applications, in order to fully interconnect the solutions.
Expected products and results
In recent years Europe has invested significantly in pre-standardisation activities via research programmes (EU-DG XIII) and via standardisation projects in health care informatics and telematics (EU - DG III and CEN/TC 251). With respect to competitiveness, it is essential to maintain and even strengthen the European impact on international standardisation in this area.
The Belgian industry, made up primarily of small and medium-sized companies, enjoys a strong reputation with regard to informatics/telematics in health care. However, it should draw greater advantage from standards in order to reduce development and maintenance costs, safeguard its market position and further promote the export of products and services.
The users within the sector of medical informatics are health care organisations and health workers who buy informatics and telematics systems. They play a major role in identifying requirements and priorities and in solving complex problems (e.g. protection aspects).
The Belgian health care system plays a regulating role and has a considerable impact on the health care market. In order to implement existing standards, it is indispensable to be able to count on extensive support from the government. It is generally agreed that the field of health care is a difficult market. The forces in this area are determined by actors coming from different corners: health care policy, suppliers of computer systems and services, researchers, users with their organisations as well as other strategic groups. Certain forums, such as PROREC in Belgium and EHTO in Europe, are essential in order to bring all those who play a role in these sectors closer to one another.
Scientific collaboration
IMIA/WG 16 (International Medical Informatics Association), BIN/IBN, CEN and ISO
