eHealth in Latin America and the Caribbean: interoperability standards review

Abstract

[Summary]. Information and Communication Technology implemented in healthcare has the potential to improve the quality of care, optimize expenditure and contribute to the safety and fairness of patient care. The field of healthcare involves a high degree of information exchange among stakeholders; however, it is highly fragmented and distributed across multiple unintegrated data silos. To achieve adequate continuity of care, a continuous flow of information is required. A key aspect to accomplish this objective is to ensure the interoperability of information systems that support the health care process. The effective information exchange between stakeholders and systems can be attained through the use of standards. This report aims to describe a conceptual framework for interoperability and eHealth standards, to perform a systematic review of the literature (implementation and effective use of standards to achieve interoperability in Latin American and Caribbean countries) and, finally, to provide recommendations to achieve this objective in the Region.