EAHP’s SIG on pharmacy automation interoperability will be responsible for developing vendor-neutral standard communication protocol enabling seamless workflow while delivering selected use cases with different equipment from multiple vendors.
Phasing of the project
This project is planned be delivered in 3 phases:
1. Selection of 1-2 common use cases and documentation of a Standard Operating Procedure (SOP) for each use case. The SOP will describe as precisely as possible the process and the operations executed in the use case, step by step, using a natural language (meaning no technical language). Hospital pharmacists will lead this phase. Vendor’s experts will act as technical consultants.
2. Translation of the SOP in technical specifications for a vendor-neutral communication protocol, ideally based on existing standard protocols such as HL7, FHIR, IHE etc. The technical specifications will describe for each step:
– Content of the message (input)
– Process (output)
– Structure and format of the message
Participating vendors will lead this phase while hospital pharmacists will act as consultants; during this phase, vendors are also expected to develop and/or adapt their equipment to the standard communication protocol so that it could be easily integrated to any other equipment compliant with this standard without further customisation.
3. Live testing of the communication protocol during a Connectathon event. This hands-on testing environment will enable participating vendors and hospital pharmacists to evaluate the protocol’s effectiveness in real-world scenarios. Based on the insights and feedback gathered during the Connectathon, the protocol will be refined and adapted as necessary to ensure optimal performance and interoperability. This iterative process will help to address any challenges encountered during testing and ensure that the protocol is robust, reliable, and ready for broader implementation.
Expected outcomes
The SIG’s expected outcomes are :
– detailed SOPs for each selected use case (in Phase 1)
– detailed technical specifications and supporting documentation of a released standard communication protocol (from Phase 2)
The SIG members will meet regularly to drive forward these objectives and develop solutions that will benefit hospital pharmacies across Europe.