Standardised

Statement

We use open, internationally recognised standards to exchange, structure and code health data, at every interoperability layer.

Rationale

Common standards make exchange between independent systems possible. They reduce dependence on specific vendors and connect the region to the rest of the world.

Implications

• Designs address all interoperability layers: legal, organisational, semantic and technical (EC 2017).
• We use open international standards such as HL7 FHIR, IHE profiles, SNOMED CT, LOINC and ICD, in line with PH4H (Ramirez et al. 2026).
• Processes and data sets are agreed regionally and reused across use cases.
• Data is FAIR: findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable.
• Where no standard exists yet, we weigh the impact of later standardisation before innovating.

References: Sigra 2025; EC 2017; EU 2025; WHO n.d.; Ramirez et al. 2026; Nictiz & The Open Group 2023; Wilkinson et al. 2016; HL7 International n.d.; IHE International n.d.; SNOMED International n.d.; Regenstrief Institute n.d.; WHO (ICD) n.d..