Understanding the role of device level interoperability in promoting health - lessons learned from the SmartPersonalHealth Project.

Abstract

To summarize lessons learned from the European Commission (EC) co-funded project SmartPersonalHealth, a project to promote a greater understanding of the value of interoperability among Personal Health Systems (PHS) and between them and other eHealth systems, in the landscape of continuity of care and across multi-cultural environments in Europe. Key concepts in PHS interoperability, challenges, barriers and benefits were discussed with stakeholders (policy makers, regulators, procurers, healthcare providers, health professionals, patient representatives, industry, researchers) in three consultation workshops and a final conference. The results were synthesized in final report to the European Commission. The survey and analysis presented, which are designed to set the scene on the key requirements of device level interoperability within a context of using sensors, signals and imaging informatics in healthcare, set out key interoperability standards for PHS as provided for in the Continua Health Alliance Guidelines and explores further the need for wider organisational and regulatory aspects of interoperability. Achieving interoperability of eHealth systems is a complex process involving various actors and challenges far beyond technical and standardisation issues. For harnessing the key benefits of PHS, any interoperability scenario needs to account for value-based business cases for all stakeholders involved. It must foresee to enable seamless and consistent data and information flows by integrating and mixing devices used by patients/consumers at home, for remote monitoring, for home hospitalisation and/or within the hospital.