The International Patient Summary key health data, worldwide

Health Data Advisor

Global specification with local returns in patient care.

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash

The benefits to the major users of the IPS have been described by eStandards project.

Alongside the workforce using the International Patient Summary (IPS) the institutional needs of the organisation in which it is being used will also have to be considered. This is typically the role of the Health Data Advisors within the healthcare provider organisations. For healthcare provider systems the needs include:

  • Provide better informed care
  • Saving costs by minimising duplicate and unnecessary tests etc., and by managing the patient effectively
  • Social control on the quality of a care setting
  • Potential source for research (by means of reusable standardised fragments).

Adapted from: eStandards – eHealth Standards and Profiles in Action for Europe and Beyond, Deliverable 3.5: Roadmap for collaborative and sustainable standards development – Recommendations for a globally competitive Europe; Companion Document 2: The eStandards Roadmap Components; Final Version 1.0, 31.07.2017, chapter 7. (See the The eStandards Roadmap for the Patient Summary)


A good starting point for the Health Data Advisor to get acquainted with the IPS would be:

Photo by Scott Graham on Unsplash