The testing of electronic medical records (EMR) was a trending topic at the 11th annual IHE European Connectathon that took place April 11-15 in Pisa, Italy.

Dependence on computer systems seemed to be the question at hand, as the talks were the first steps in affirming a strong quality management system (QMS) for EMRs.

"Vendors, users, patients and health authorities need to agree on practical solutions to validate and assert the interoperability of eHealth systems by means of appropriate testing and certification or quality labeling," said a representative of the committee.

[See also: IHE-Europe eyes imaging standards to improve endoscopy.]

Healthcare Interoperability Testing and Conformance Harmonisation (HITCH), a project sponsored by the European Commission, explained their blueprint for critical implementation of e-health in Europe during the Connectathon. The QMS model they shared will be developed by IHE for its interoperability testing process.

During the weeklong event, vendors, healthcare institutions and Member States of the European Union validated their information systems internationally to guarantee interoperability of their systems. A HITCH satellite workshop featured presentations from the partners in the project. Leading organizations for interoperability standards and process improvement in Europe were in attendance, as well as representatives of the European Commission.

[See also: Connectathon expands to weeklong program.]