Helbling overcomes health data integration hurdles

A technical article by specialists at Zurich-based engineering and consultancy company Helbling defines the integration of health data in practice or hospital systems as a key to success based on previously completed projects. The problem is that this data can be collected through completely different medical devices and needs to be centrally available to health specialists.

The authors give three aspects that should be considered with integration projects. First, requirements must be created by manufacturers of medical devices and implants. The development of cloud-based platforms is crucial for this. This real-time data can be used to differentiate between device context and medical context. Interfaces enable the data to be used. However, adoption of technical solutions is still slow-paced in Switzerland.

Secondly, the aspect of parties providing a service (i.e., hospitals and practices) is analyzed. For hospitals, the most important valid standards can be referenced. The landscape of the practice system is complex, but electronic patient files could lead to an improvement within Switzerland. The authors analyze the comparable models in Switzerland, Germany, and Poland and how they can be advanced.

The third aspect relates to patients. Their acceptance of digital health systems is growing but surveys suggest that this is linked to clear conditions. For example, this includes improved user friendliness, decreased costs, and data control. ce/yvh