European patient summary guideline and continuity of care document: A comparison

The European Union (EU) Patient Summary (PS) guidelines adopted in November 2013 by the eHealth Network established under Article 14 of the EU directive on patient rights to cross-border health care, specifies a minimal dataset of essential information for unplanned or emergency care based on the epSOS PS. The Blue Button+ initiative linked to Meaningful Use Stage 2 in the United States, grants patients access to their medical records with HL7 Consolidated CDA (C-CDA) Both the EU PS and Blue Button+ are based on the HL7 CDA R2 standard. The Trillium Bridge project aims to deliver a feasibility study on the transatlantic exchange of patient summaries. After comparing the Implementation Guides (IGs) and patient summary samples, we identified similarities both in the syntax expressing key data elements and in the binding value sets. Semantic assets providing mappings can be part of a common interoperability framework raising awareness of barriers that persist. Findings in comparing concepts and value sets are placed in the context of efforts toward an international patient summary standard.