Box 3.
HL7 version 3
HL7 version 3 has been chosen as the future standard for exchanging clinical information by both the United States22 and the NHS in England.1 It is based on a reference model that ensures consistency in the representation of information in messages and reduces the chance of ambiguity and misunderstanding. This allows the receiving system to use the information safely and effectively.
One of its first applications is the NHS Information Authority's GP2GP project.23 This project provides a means of transferring complete patient records from one general practice system to another, enabling a patient's new doctor to receive the records much faster than the traditional clerical procedures allow and eliminating the need to re-key patient data.