Information Technology Data Standards in Cardiology What, Why, and How Come
Computers are the necessary substrate for everything that occurs in cardiology and all of medicine, yet computer technology has been implemented in a piecemeal manner. Multiple single solutions have been introduced to solve individual problems, with no coherent planning for integration and communication across all the multiple computer platforms. Data and data elements are the building blocks of what we call information. In order to maximally utilize the enormous capacities that computers offer in handling information, the data elements must be precisely defined and stored in computers in a uniform manner. This requires data standards. In cardiology, national professional societies led by the American College of Cardiology are developing data standards along with necessary technical specifications that will help achieve the desired goal of a fully interoperable health information network.