Resting ECG Workflow Status

Administrative Info

Date: 7-Dec-2009

Supplement Editors: Barry Brown (Mortara), Mary Schneider (GE)

Background

IHE promotes the use of healthcare communications standards so products from multiple vendors interoperate in specific clinical scenarios. A resting 12-lead ECG is the most widely prescribed diagnostic cardiac test. Electrocardiographs, unlike other cardiology modality devices, typically use proprietary communication protocols making device interoperability and clinical workflow very difficult. Therefore, IHE will profile “Resting ECG Workflow” and specify the healthcare communications standards to use between systems and devices involved in this clinical scenario. Resting ECG Workflow involves registering the patient, ordering the test, performing the test (acquiring the waveforms), and interpreting the test results (reporting). Many existing multi-vendor installations are unable to support this complete ECG workflow because of the proprietary device protocols. For example, most electrocardiographs are unable to accept ECG orders from other vendors' ECG management systems. Also, any ECG management vendor claiming multi-vendor electrocardiograph support has had to invest in multiple engineering efforts to create vendor-specific device interfaces.

This profile identifies the actors involved in this workflow and how they communicate. It reuses as many actors and transactions from existing IHE profiles as appropriate. Consideration has been given to the types of products already on the market so manufacturers can conform to this profile without major architecture and product scope changes. IHE realizes that manufacturers are more likely to conform to IHE profiles if the engineering effort is minimized.

This profile makes it easier for vendors with related modality storage and reporting products to add support for ECG workflow. For example, classic PACS systems already have image storage and reporting solutions. Adding another modality may not take much effort and will give their customers the benefit of having all their cardiology modalities together.

Scope

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Target Milestones

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Highlights/ Accomplishments

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Risks/ Concerns

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Next Steps

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