Using HL7 CDA and LOINC for standardized laboratory results in the Austrian electronic health record

Abstract

With the implementation of the Austrian electronic health record (ELGA), laboratory results are formally standardized for the first time throughout Austria. The nomenclature of the lab analyses, their sequence and structure as well as the display of laboratory results are unified with ELGA. One of the most significant steps is using Logical Observation Identifiers Names and Codes (LOINC) as a reference terminology for lab analyses. Thereby laboratory results can be reused semantically interoperable all over Austria.