It has become a cliché that we live in an increasingly interconnected world, but the fact is that this is true for health. Patients reasonably expect that the information necessary for their care is available throughout the English NHS and beyond. This may be to another country in the United Kingdom, Europe or even when they join the armed forces.

Healthcare IT will only be able to deliver this vision if it has consistency. Sharing a diagnosis of a fractured left femur with a colleague in another country requires that both IT systems correctly understand fracture, left and femur. There must be standards in place to make this happen.

Standards are not something we think about every day and yet they permeate our lives. Every time we buy a child’s toy we are investing in standards. These include safety standards for their manufacture and use, materials standards to ensure the packaging can be recycled and so on.

Please click below for further information on standards:

• Why do we need standards?
• What types of standards are there?
• Who develops standards?
• Who approves standards?
• Thoughts on the information revolution.

We've also created a set of useful links to organisations mentioned in this website.