Interoperability can be defined as the ability of systems to work and communicate with each other. And in the context of remote monitoring of respiratory patients?
Damien Rougeux
“A digital medical device such as Vestalis2 has two levels of interoperability,” explains Damien Rougeux, Chief Operating Officer at Vestalis. “On the one hand, it interacts with connected medical devices used for patient treatment and monitoring: ventilators, CPAP3 devices, oximeters. On the other hand, it communicates with professionals’ business software, whether ERP4 used by HCPs5, or EHRs6 and GAMs7 used in hospitals.”
How does it work?
More sophisticated than it appears, interoperability involves data translation and harmonization skills. An interoperable DMN is like a control tower for information flows. The goal is to transform heterogeneous and complex material into homogeneous and usable tracking data, presented to users in an intuitive way within a single interface and provided to business software.
Translation:
Vestalis speaks the language of each connected device (“API”8 in technical terms), which is specific to each manufacturer. Development and maintenance are necessary to establish and maintain this dialogue. The same applies between Vestalis and business software.
Harmonization:
The Vestalis data model standardizes data from both connected medical devices and business software. Vestalis retrieves more than 200 different types of information from manufacturers’ servers, including machine settings and treatment data. “Our solution is capable of homogenizing this data, i.e., understanding and differentiating it. It is also unique in that it is agnostic and extensible, meaning that it can easily ‘digest’ new types of data to meet new business needs,” emphasizes Damien Rougeux.
Like an invisible conductor, Vestalis orchestrates the smooth operation of the entire system: sequencing steps, coordinating and performing checks, ensuring that actions involving multiple software programs are possible and consistent. Vestalis thus facilitates interactions between remote monitoring stakeholders and the implementation of their business logic, whether generic or specific to the software they use.
A solid back office for a robust solution:
“It’s not enough to ensure a two-way flow of data. Above all, you have to check that these flows are working 24 hours a day, detect errors, and correct them.” Interoperability therefore goes far beyond simply connecting to APIs. By analogy, it’s not just about flying a plane, but about regulating all air traffic. Drawing on Vestalis’ industrial heritage, numerous back-office tools are used to continuously synchronize information, regardless of potential hazards (server failure, human error, etc.). This synchronization ensures the reliability of key information relating to patient-machine pairing. The operator can then be confident that their decisions are based on measurements taken from the right patient.
Thanks to the expertise behind it, Vestalis’ interoperability plays a key role in the secure digitization of respiratory healthcare pathways.
Would you like to learn more about the Vestalis ecosystem? Feel free to contact us at: https://www.vestalis.health/contact/
References:
1. DM: Medical Devices
2. More information at https://www.vestalis.health
3. CPAP: Continuous Positive Airway Pressure
4. ERP: Enterprise Resource Planning
5. HCP: HomeCare Provider
6. EHR: Electronic Health Record
7. GAM: Patient Administrative Management
8. API: Application Programming Interface