Continua releases updated integration guidelines

Continua Health Alliance, an international nonprofit organization of healthcare and technology companies, has released its 2010 Design Guidelines.

The Guidelines include industry standards and specifications selected by the alliance to ensure interoperability, build on Continua-specific implementations and clarify options in underlying standards or specifications, Continua stated.

The 2010 Guidelines edition includes:

• A wide area network (WAN) interface, which sends data from an aggregation or hub device, such as a PC, mobile phone or health appliance via a standardized model for remote monitoring servers or EHRs. This service was developed in collaboration with the Integrating the Healthcare Enterprise (IHE) organization.
• Support for two new personal area network (PAN) and Sensor-LAN device types: peak flow meters and adherence monitors for use in medication monitoring.
• Updates and enhancements to the ISO/IEEE Base Framework Specification which defines a common transmission protocol of Continua device data regardless of the device or application.
• ZigBee support in the Sensor-LAN interface, selected for its efficiency in working with multiple sensors in the home.
• Email support to the Health Record Network (HRN) interface between a remote monitoring server and an EHR.

Continua Health Alliance, of Beaverton, Ore., is a nonprofit, open industry organization of healthcare and technology companies collaborating to improve the quality of personal healthcare. The alliance includes more than 240 member companies around the world.