Guest Editorial: Translating standards into practice: Experiences and lessons learned in biomedicine and health care

  • Authors:

  • Elizabeth S. Chen;Genevieve B. Melton;Indra Neil Sarkar

  • Affiliations:

  • Center for Clinical and Translational Science, University of Vermont, 89 Beaumont Avenue, Given Courtyard N311, Burlington, VT 05405, USA and Department of Medicine - Division of General Internal ...;-;-

  • Venue:
  • Journal of Biomedical Informatics
  • Year:
  • 2012

Quantified Score

Hi-index 0.00

Visualization

Abstract

The value of standards for the representation, integration, and exchange of data, information, and knowledge across the spectrum of biomedicine and health care has been widely recognized for years. Recent initiatives further underscore the importance of standards (e.g., for certification and meaningful use of electronic health records) and establishment of systematic approaches for achieving semantic interoperability. There is accordingly a need for detailed, experience-based discussions pertaining to the adoption and implementation of the breadth of standards in biomedicine and health care. The goal of this special issue has been to provide a forum for describing advanced research and development in translating standards into practice. Each paper in this issue provides a comprehensive description of methodologies employed and challenges encountered during the process of implementing a specific standard or set of standards in a practical setting. The twenty-two papers (including one methodological review) represent a broad array of experiences with standards and are categorized into the following sections: (1) Terminology Standards, (2) Document Standards, (3) Decision Support Standards, (4) Standards-Based Infrastructure, and (5) Standards Adoption Processes.