The Personal Connected Health Alliance (PCHAlliance), a non-profit formed by HIMSS has released the latest version of the Continua Design Guidelines (CDGs) to enable the secure, private, reliable and accurate sharing of patient generated health data (PGHD) with healthcare providers, built-on HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) specifications. The Design Guidelines now support the integration of personal health data from 26 vital signs sensors and 40 health, medical and fitness devices for telehealth and telemonitoring of chronic diseases, including diabetes, heart failure, hypertension and COPD, as well as health and fitness measures.
The Continua Design Guidelines define an open, flexible framework for end-to-end interoperability and the convenient collection and exchange of clinical grade health data for improved health, wellness and disease management. They are built on existing open, international standards and specifications including ISO/IEEE, IEC, HL7, USB and Bluetooth. The International Telecommunication Union (ITU) recognizes the Continua Design Guidelines as a formal international standard for personal health systems and makes them available for global adoption in the six official languages of the United Nations, including Arabic, Chinese, English, French, Russian, and Spanish.
In addition to technical specifications and implementation instructions, Continua Design Guidelines comprise a reference architecture, product test and certification tools and services. By certifying products to Continua, companies actively contribute to the evolution of the personal connected health economy and demonstrate their commitment to ensure safe, secure data transfer for their customers. The Guidelines are developed through a collaborative process in PCHAlliance’s Continua Global Technical Committee, and are approved in a ballot among all leading members.
Continua Certified products carry a recognizable logo signifying clinical-grade interoperability with other Continua Certified products. Any organization that develops a health, medical or fitness product can certify to the Continua Design Guidelines by following the certification process. This includes hundreds of health, medical and fitness device types, all with a direct path to the electronic health record (EHR).
