HL7
HL7 (Health Level Seven) is a set of international standards for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information. It defines a framework and specifications for healthcare data interoperability, enabling disparate systems to communicate and exchange clinical and administrative data. The standards cover areas such as messaging, documents, and application programming interfaces (APIs) to support healthcare workflows.
Developers should learn HL7 when working in healthcare IT, such as building electronic health record (EHR) systems, health information exchanges (HIEs), or medical device integrations, as it is widely adopted globally for ensuring data consistency and compliance. It is essential for projects requiring interoperability between healthcare applications, such as transmitting lab results, patient admissions, or billing information, to meet regulatory requirements and improve patient care coordination.