Integrated medical system using DICOM and HL7 standards

Informational systems and the standardization of data transfer protocols have become an important part of nowadays medical world. Software applications transformed themselves into an indispensable tool for the specialist engaged in the medical act. In this sense, the use of information and communication technology has influenced greatly the fast and reliable (also secure) transmission of medical data throughout informational systems, shortening the required processing times. The increasing use of IT&C in the medical world also demanded for new protocols that would facilitate data transfer (between different software application) and data storage in a common format. Likewise, several organizations have undertaken this difficult task of medical digital data standardization, among which the National Electrical Manufacturers Association (NEMA) and American College of Radiology (ACR) are the most important ones. Their efforts concentrate mostly in the development of the DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine) standard. It has all started in the 1970’s with the increasing use of CT scanners and other image-based diagnostic devices that opened the way for large – scale deployment of software applications in the medical field and thus the need to interface machines and applications manufactured/produced by various companies was born. This translated into the need to specify a common image format for all medical imaging devices. In 1983, ACR and NEMA delegated a committee to solve this problem and propose a standard that would allow the following:  Data exchange concerning generated digital medical images between devices produced by different manufactures;  The development of PACS (Picture Archiving and Communication Systems);  The development of medical databases able to be interrogated using (geographically) distributed software applications; In 1985 version 1.0 of the DICOM standard was published by ACR and NEMA, followed by 2 revisions in October 1986 and January 1988. Version 2.0 of the standard was issued also in 1988 and added a set of commands for displays, by introducing a new image identification scheme based on „data-elements” for a better characterization of the image parameters (NEAC, 2008). 14