The 11th annual European interoperability-testing event known as the IHE Connectathon will be held in Pisa, Italy from April 11 to 15, 2011. The event will take place at the Stazione Leopolda, a former railway station that was transformed into a multifunctional center.
The function is a five-day 'connectivity marathon' for assessing the interoperability of applications used in health information systems. More than 200 information technology engineers from 90 companies are expected for this year's event.
Connectathon 2011 offers a number of workshops and seminars gathering professionals from an assortment of European health IT programs. All companies implementing IHE technical framework specifications in their products will have a focus on a specific healthcare theme, with the opportunity to test their applications from other vendors in a real-time interoperability environment. Companies who are participating in the event also have a chance to prepare themselves using testing software -- the MESA test tool. The practice allows vendors to remove hurdles to their products that would otherwise have to be dealt with onsite and at the audience's expense.
In addition to the Connectathon gathering, another interoperability testing event will be hosted, called the Projectathon. Organized by the Smart Open Services for European Patients (epSOS) project, the Projectathon is a facet into a European pilot program for the exchange of patient summaries and electronic prescriptions across borders.
"After 10 years of steady progress, Connectathon is now seen as the right place at the right moment for people to share experiences on e-health implementations," said Peter Kuenecke, IHE-Europe vendor co-chair of the event. The results of the Connectathon will be published on the IHE-Europe website and application vendors may refer to the IHE Integration Statements to show compliance of their products with IHE Integration Profiles.
