The International Patient Summary Standard and the Extensibility Requirement

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Healthcare Standards
• Digital Health

Background:

• The International Patient Summary Standard (EN 17269) is based on the European Guideline for cross-border patient summary exchange.
• This dataset has been adopted globally, including in the U.S.A. and Canada, and has undergone several iterations (2013, 2016, 2020).

Purpose of the Study:

• To describe the process of transforming a policy-driven guideline into a formal, implementable, and sustainable standard.
• To address the critical requirement of extensibility within the standard patient summary dataset.

Main Methods:

• Analysis of the evolution from a guideline to a formal standard.
• Focus on the 'minimal and non-exhaustive' dataset as a foundation for a reference standard.
• Addressing the 'extensibility' requirement for the standard dataset.

Main Results:

• The 'minimal and non-exhaustive' dataset serves as a foundation for a reference standard.
• The standard facilitates both implementable and sustainable cross-border patient summary exchange.
• The extensibility requirement was successfully addressed in the standard's development.

Conclusions:

• The International Patient Summary Standard (EN 17269) provides a robust framework for international healthcare data exchange.
• The standard's design ensures flexibility and long-term sustainability in digital health initiatives.
• Successful transition to a formal standard enables wider adoption and improved patient care coordination.