NICTIZ

NICTIZ is the Dutch National ICT Institute for Healthcare (NICTIZ). The role of NICTIZ is to coordinate the many ICT initiatives which have been fragmented up to now. NICTIZ bridges the gap between these initiatives by bringing together all the parties involved. NICTIZ's task is to support the creation of a system which will allow an improved flow of information for and on behalf of the patient/client, making use of the potential of IT, with a view to raising the quality and effectiveness of healthcare.

NICTIZ is an impartial and neutral organization in which all parties involved in the healthcare process take part: providers of care (doctors, hospitals, etc.), recipients of care (patients and their organizations), health insurers and the government. The information system will be based on an Electronic Patient Record (EPR), which will allow healthcare professionals to access medical data on patients from any location and at any time. NICTIZ will be responsible for ensuring that the security of such medical data can be guaranteed. Alongside medical data, it is the intention that the EPR should also facilitate the exchange of logistic and administrative information. All the parties involved are therefore working to create a single standard and to link up the various existing information systems already in use by care professionals.

Objectives

The aim of NICTIZ is to create the right conditions for the nation-wide provision of information for and about the patient. Part of its task is to combine the strengths of existing IT initiatives. The ultimate aim is to achieve full accessibility and an efficient exchange of information with the aid of a basic IT infrastructure and a national EPR. Security and transparency are important considerations in this respect. NICTIZ has chosen to focus on the medication record. If NICTIZ is to achieve its objectives, it is essential that its activities be supported by as many of the parties involved as possible. Ultimately, NICTIZ needs to be able to rely on the involvement and cooperation of all the players in the IT and health-care field if the plan is to be successful.

Care professionals in the care and cure sector, patient organizations, health-care insurers and care sector IT specialists are all closely involved in the activities of NICTIZ. NICTIZ is supported by an Advisory Board which consists of representatives from various sections of the care sector.

In addition, NICTIZ is working closely with the Dutch Normalization Institute (NEN). A joint NICTIZ/NEN Programme & Policies Committee will put forward recommendations about the contents of NICTIZ's program and the relevant normalization activities within NEN.

NICTIZ's activities are divided into two programs: AORTA and Healthcare Applications.

References

• See NICTIZ Corporate Profile (PDF, 4 Mb)