Joined-up healthcare makes information available when and where it is needed to improve safety, efficiency and effectiveness. Politicians may take interoperability between healthcare computer systems for granted, but it is non-trivial. Healthcare integration projects are notoriously under-estimated and come in over-budget and over-time.
Joined-up healthcare depends on standards. The two leading standards are the SNOMED CT, which is a clinical terminology (semantics) and HL7 Version 3, which is a specialised healthcare interoperability language (syntax). Both are new, complex and fit for purpose.
Tim Benson believes there is an unmet need for a book on Healthcare Integration. Some health informatics textbooks include chapters on HL7 and/or SNOMED, but these are usually quite short and cannot provide even an adequate introduction. There is little of much value on the Internet, or in journals or conference proceedings.
Interoperability between healthcare computer systems depends on us developing, implementing and deploying appropriate standards, such as HL7 and SNOMED CT, working together as a tightly specified language.
The documentation of HL7 and SNOMED runs to tens of thousands of pages and creates a steep learning curve and barrier to entry. Principles of Health Interoperability HL7 and SNOMED provides a clear introduction to these standards, explaining the core principles for the health IT professional, student, clinician and healthcare manager.