1. Are UK Interoperability Standards Possible? HL7 UK Conference, 25th October 2006 Allan Dickinson Head of Technical Design, Informing Healthcare, NHS Wales

2. Why shouldn’t they be? • Different healthcare information systems • Does this mean incompatible information systems? • Differences even with same systems in different places! • Issues: • Can the systems communicate using the same protocols? • Do they share the same formats for the content of communication? • Do they have a common understanding of the meaning of information? ?

3. Reasons for Interoperability • Cross-border healthcare • Networks of care • Population movement • Patient safety • Requests for service • Emergency / Unscheduled care • Results of service • Transfer of history • Other information sharing • Information for payment • Comparisons

4. UK? Wales? Europe? World? Welsh patient attending English hospital Cardiff patient attending Newport hospital Wales and Republic of Ireland Scope of Interoperability

5. Achieving Interoperability • Can’t have same systems everywhere • Need standards for: • Medical Information • Patient Identification • Business Processes • Confidentiality / Authorisation

6. Current activity • National Programmes • Addressing the issues within UK home countries • Gaining an understanding of what is involved • Help to resolve the issues at a wider scale • Incremental development • Local collaboration • UK IM&T Forum • European Groups

7. Are Interoperability Standards Possible? • They had better be: • Movement of people • Patient safety • Clinical expectation • They can be: • National Programmes are addressing the issues • Basis for international agreement • But this will need: • Cultural change • Agreement on standards • Adherence to standards