IHE-Based Image Exchange in the Netherlands

Since the second quarter of 2021, an IHE based, nationwide infrastructure allows Dutch hospitals to quickly, safely and securely share digital medical information. In this article the authors describe the developments that have led to this standards-based infrastructure in the Netherlands. The authors go over the changes brought upon in the early 2000's by the wave of radiology digitisation, the rising need for digital image exchange as a result of that, and the influence of not only privacy and security concerns but also the political factors that shaped the infrastructure in the years that followed. The article concludes by discussing a few important lessons learned, notably that the enablers for information exchange are not only technical provisions, but require also process and political alignment plus fulfilment of important prerequisites such as building trust in the network.