Addressing Public Health Emergencies and Responses

Mr. Charles Gabrial, FEHRM Digital Health Standards Lead, Interoperability Workstream

Because of the COVID-19 global crisis, the International Organization for Standardization (ISO) responded to the urgent global demand to develop standards for interoperable public health emergency preparedness and response information systems. Through this endeavor, ISO aimed to improve preparedness for national and international Public Health Emergencies and Responses (PH ERP). The PH ERP standard provides best practices and cutting-edge strategies for collecting business requirements and a mapping framework for semantic interoperability.

On December 12, 2023, ISO released the ISO 5477, Health Informatics—Interoperability of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Information Systems. This successful state-of-the-art standard resulted from a fruitful three-year collaboration between the Federal Electronic Health Record Modernization Office and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Office of Preparedness and Response. Sixteen countries from around the world participated in its review. This unique, novel standard outlines the interoperability and data exchange requirements for electronic systems collecting critical information for international and national multi-jurisdictional and multi-sectoral emergency response. It empowers countries and communities to adopt best practices and a universally accepted public health emergency preparedness and response system.

Participating countries, including the United States, Australia, Canada, Japan, and South Korea, agreed to adopt this newly released standard. By implementing this standard, countries can establish effective and efficient coordinated strategies and operations for approaches to emergency response, leveraging technology and data to improve situational awareness, resource allocation, and communication among relevant stakeholders. They can also manage a more coordinated, efficient, and timely response to public health emergencies.

ISO 5477 enables better collaboration and information sharing during crises, ultimately contributing to more effective and timely responses to public health emergencies. ISO 5477 aims to enhance preparedness at both national and international levels for various types of emergencies, such as the emergence of new infectious diseases like COVID-19, chemical and nuclear accidents, environmental disasters, and the potential threat of criminal acts and bioterrorism.

This standard enhances the information available to the federal EHR, which is at the heart of the FEHRM’s mission, by enabling providers to make the best clinical decisions based on accurate, up-to-date health data. The collaboration between the FEHRM and CDC signifies a commitment to global health security and the development of robust systems to confront and manage public health emergencies.

International Organization for Standardization

ISO is an independent, non-governmental organization that develops and publishes standards for various industries and sectors worldwide. ISO standards are developed through a consensus-based process that involves experts from industry, government, and other interested parties from around the world, drawn from global technical committees. ISO-developed standards provide state-of-the-art frameworks for organizations to improve their management practices and processes, reduce risk, and achieve operational excellence. These standards cover a wide range of topics, including quality management, environmental management, occupational health and safety, information security, and more. With more than 165 member countries, ISO is one of the largest standards development organizations in the world. As noted on the ISO website, "ISO has put together groups of experts that represent every sector imaginable, from soaps to spacecraft, MP3 to coffee. In fact, there are more than 250 technical committees."

Resources

ISO 5477: Health Informatics—Interoperability of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Information Systems

ISO TC 215 on Health Informatics Develops International Standard on Interoperability of Public Health Emergency Preparedness and Response Information Systems (ansi.org)

ISO - Who Develops Standards