Health Level 7 (HL7) is a set of international standards for exchanging, integrating, sharing, and retrieving electronic health information. These standards define the format and structure for exchanging various types of health-related data between different healthcare information systems, such as electronic health records (EHRs), laboratory systems, pharmacy systems, and more. HL7 standards aim to facilitate interoperability between different healthcare systems, allowing them to communicate and share information efficiently.
Importance of HL7
- Interoperability: HL7 ensures that disparate healthcare systems can communicate and exchange information seamlessly.
- Standardization: It sets the rules for data formatting, transmission, and interpretation, enabling consistency in data exchange.
- Enhanced efficiency: By streamlining data exchange, HL7 reduces manual entry, minimizes errors, and accelerates processes within healthcare organizations.
- Supports innovation: The standardization provided by HL7 fosters innovation by allowing developers and healthcare professionals to create and integrate new technologies and applications that seamlessly connect with existing systems.
Related: What is data standardization?
HL7 standards
- HL7 v2.x: This version employs a messaging standard that defines the format and structure of data exchanged between systems. While widely used, it lacks some flexibility and can vary between implementations.
- HL7 v3: A more structured and comprehensive standard, v3 utilizes the Clinical Document Architecture (CDA) for the exchange of clinical documents. It focuses on semantic interoperability, ensuring that data is not only shared but also understood consistently.
- HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources): FHIR represents a modern approach to healthcare data exchange. Its RESTful API-based framework allows for faster and easier implementation, catering to the needs of modern healthcare systems, mobile applications, and the Internet of Things (IoT).
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