Specification Overview

Introduction to OpenHIE

OpenHIE is a global mission-driven community of practice dedicated to improving the health of the underserved through open and collaborative development and support of country driven, large scale health information sharing architectures. The OpenHIE community supports interoperability by creating a reusable architectural framework that introduces a service-oriented approach which maximally leverages health information standards, enables flexible implementation by country partners, and supports interchangeability of individual components.

The following specification outlines the reusable architectural practices that constitute OpenHIE. However, the framework is intended to be constantly evolving as standards and implementer needs change over time.

Specification Purpose

The purpose of the specification release is to:

  • Provide an overview of the OpenHIE Architecture

  • Articulate the requirements for OpenHIE components

  • Articulate the workflows (data exchanges) that are currently recognized as data exchange patterns to follow

  • Provide a reference for implementers to use in their architecture and/or implementations

Specification Process

The process used to update the content was as follows:

  1. Sub-communities contributed additions and changes

  2. The OpenHIE Architecture Review Board reviewed and approved the content

  3. The updates were merged into the published version of the documentation.

The process is expected to evolve in future years. See How to Provide Input for directions on how to propose changes and make comments.

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