Implementation
General Implementation Guidance is provided on this page for people trying to implement software/systems that support IHE Profiles.
Profile implementation guidance is also available for some specific Profiles.
Deployment Project Summaries outline several real-world IHE implementation/deployment projects.
Implementation Guidance
Change Proposals reflect modifications to a released Technical Framework or Supplement. It is important for implementors to monitor CPs and keep their implementations up to date.
Implementation Tools
Development Tools
<List public domain toolkits & reference implementations>
Test Tools
IHE has developed a growing body of software tools to facilitate testing and implementation of IHE Integration Profiles in healthcare information technology systems. These tools are available for download and licensed by their developers for free use. The links below point to sources with further information and direct access to download the tools.
MESA
Developer: Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology, Washington University
URL: http://ihedoc.wustl.edu/mesasoftware/11.11.0/dist/index.htm
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Licensing: Open Source (with attribution requirement)
Development Platform: C++/PERL/Java
Delivery Method: Application/Server/Command Line
Description: MESA is the main body of the current generation of IHE Test Tools developed at the Mallinckrodt Institute of Radiology (MIR) at Washington University in St. Louis. Version 11.11.0 is the latest public release of the software created by MIR to support testing during the 2007-2008 annual testing cycle.
Profiles and Constructs:
Laika
Developer: MITRE Corporation
URL: http://laika.sourceforge.net/
Contact:
Licensing: Apache 2.0
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Delivery Method: Web Service
Description:
Profiles and Constructs: HITSP C32, IHE XDS-MS
Kudu Test Management Tool
Developer: INRIA
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Profiles Tested:
Patient Care Device Testing Tools
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Profiles Tested:
HL7 V2 Toolkit
Developer: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
URL: http://hl7v2tools.nist.gov/
Contact:
Licensing: Public Domain
Development Platform: Java
Delivery Method: Java API, Web Services, Desktop Application, Web Application
Description: NIST has developed a set of tools, focusing mainly on Cross-enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) and related Integration Profiles.
Profiles and Constructs:
XDS Toolkit
Developer: National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST)
Contact: Bill Majurski (bill_AT_nist_._gov)
Licensing: Public Domain
Development Platform: Java
Delivery Method: Java API, Web Services, Desktop Application, Web Application
Description: NIST has developed a set of tools, focusing on Cross-enterprise Document Sharing (XDS) and related Integration Profiles.
Profiles and Constructs:
XDS-I and PIX/PDQv3 Testing Tools
Developer: École de technologie supérieure, University of Quebec
Contact: Rita Noumeir
Licensing: Public Domain
Development Platform: Java
Delivery Method: Download test application / HL7 v3 schemas and sample messages
Description: The École de technologie supérieure has developed a set of tools focusing on the Cross-enterprise Document Sharing for Imaging (XDS-I), Patient Identity Cross-reference (PIXv3) and Patient Demographic Query (PDQv3) HL7 version 3 profiles.
Profiles and Constructs: Cross-enterprise Document Sharing for Imaging (XDS-I), Patient Identity Cross-reference HL7 version 3 (PIXv3), Patient Demographic Query HL7 version 3 (PDQv3)
DICOMScope Visualization Tools (MESA Tools for Consistent Presentation of Images)
Developer: O-Tech, Kuratorium OFFIS, e. V. and the Institute for Microtherapy
URL: http://dicom.offis.de/dscope.php.en , Latest binary package: ftp://dicom.offis.de/pub/dicom/offis/software/mesa_cpi/release_2004/
Contact: OFFIS DICOM discussion forum [1]
Licensing: Free (BSD) with disclaimer: Not for clinical use
Development Platform: Primarily Windows, but can be compiled on Linux and Solaris as well.
Delivery Method: Download desktop application (Windows installer)
Description: DICOMscope is a free DICOM viewer which can display uncompressed, monochrome DICOM images from all modalities and which supports monitor calibration according to DICOM part 14 as well as presentation states. DICOMscope and the various DICOMscope support tools can be used to test all CPI actors, both softcopy and hardcopy.
Profiles Tested: Consistent Presentation of Images (CPI), also for Secure Node/Secure Application actors.
Portable Data for Imaging Disk Validator
Developer: Northwestern University
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Profiles Tested: Portable Data for Imaging (PDI)
IHE-RO Test Tools
Developer: ICT Embedded BV, Eindhoven, The Netherlands
URL: http://www.dvtk.org/modules/newbb/index.php?cat=6
Contact:
Licensing: Public Domain
Development Platform: DICOM Validation Tool Kit (DVTK)
Delivery Method: DVTK Definition files/Reference Data/Test Cases
Description: The IHE-RO Test Tools are based on the DVTK platform (www.DVTK.org) and developed under contract to ASTRO by ICT Embedded, BV, Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The first release of these tools, supporting the IHE-RO Basic Integration Profile, was released in January, 2008. Additional tools to support 2008 IHE-RO profiles are currently in development.
Profiles and Constructs: IHE-RO Basic Integration Profile
Test Tools by Profile and Actor
The list of tools above gives you the location of the software and a general description of the scope of the tools. For testing a specific IHE profile, you may find it helpful to use these links.
IHE Tools by Profile lists each Integration Profile and provides links to the software and documentation.
IHE Tools by Actor lists each IHE Actor with links to the software and documentation.
In some cases you will find that two different software implementations are used to test a single actor.
See Also
Mailing Lists exist for all IHE Domains, most IHE Regions and most implementation projects (such as IHE Connectathons and IHE Demonstrations).
The NIST IHE Wiki is particularly useful to those implementing IHE Profiles from the IHE IT Infrastucture Domain.
OHF-dev is a mailing list with useful discussions for IHE developers.