A reference document based on international norms and standards as well as consultations with health professionals for those who need to exchange health data.

It takes into account the specific types of usage in the health sector and offers a stable framework for exchanging data that saves users from having to specify which data are shared every time they use the system.

Health and social care Information Systems need to be compatible with each other to facilitate cooperation between professionals and inform medical decisions relating to a patient’s care journey.

The CI-SIS encompasses:

• technical interoperability in terms of flows and services, allowing for the exchange of health data while complying with security requirements and protecting the confidentiality of personal health details;

• the interoperability of professional content, allowing health data to be processed and understood by different Information Systems thanks to a common language. 

The CI-SIS draws on mature and stable international norms and standards and has been developed in consultation with health and social care professionals as well as information service providers specialising in the health sector. Its use facilitates the integration of systems and ensures that the health sector enjoys long-term benefits from its investments.

New challenges

The increasing use of health Information Systems not only to coordinate patient treatment but also to assist health and social care professionals with medical decision-making and to evaluate common practices, as well as for the purposes of epidemiology, public health initiatives and clinical research, means that health data is increasingly being communicated and shared virtually to facilitate treatment. This virtual exchange of data requires the definition of common languages for the Information Systems handling this data so as to avoid having to develop new languages every time two Information Systems want to exchange data.