Bridging Knowledge in Long Term Care 2009: Semantic interoperability – Role and operationalization of the International Classification of Functioning Disability and Health (ICF)

摘要

IntroductionGlobalization and the advances in modern information and communication technologies (ICT) are changing the practice of health care and policy making. In the globalized economies of the 21 century, health systems will have to respond to the need of increasingly mobile citizens, patients and providers. At the same time the increased use of ICT is enabling health systems to systematize, process and integrate multiple data silos from different settings and at various levels. To meet these challenges effectively, the creation of an interoperable, global e-Health information infrastructure is critical. Data interoperability within and across heterogeneous health systems, however, is often hampered by differences in terminological inconsistencies and the lack of a common language, particularly when multiple communities of practice from different countries are involved.