Overview
EN ISO 27269:2025 - published as ISO 27269:2025 and endorsed as EN ISO 27269:2025 - specifies the core data set for an International Patient Summary (IPS). The document provides an abstract, implementation-neutral definition of a concise patient summary designed to support continuity of care, cross‑border care and care coordination. It defines IPS data blocks, descriptors and patterns from which derived technical models can be implemented, but it is not an implementation guide and does not prescribe workflow, summarization processes, or coding schemes.
Keywords: International patient summary, IPS, ISO 27269:2025, health informatics, patient summary data set, continuity of care, interoperability, electronic health records.
Key Topics and Technical Requirements
- Core IPS Data Blocks: Organizes the IPS into modular sections (data blocks) that describe essential patient information needed for safe care transitions.
- Descriptors and Patterns: Defines descriptors for IPS elements and reusable patterns and data types such as Person Name, Identifier, Address, Telecom, Coded Element, DateTime, Period, Quantity, Text, List, Reference, Range, Ratio, General Time Specification (GTS) and others.
- Conformance Detail: Specifies rules for conformance to the abstract IPS model and how derived models should relate to the IPS definition.
- Model Extensibility: Provides guidance on how the abstract model can be extended while preserving the integrity of the core data set.
- IPS Document Metadata: Defines document-level descriptors (purpose, definition, business rules, inclusion criteria, currency, examples) to ensure predictable use of the IPS.
- Feature-level Definitions: Details features such as Patient Attributes and other IPS data block features with purpose, business rules and handling of missing data.
Important exclusions (scope limitations):
- Does not cover data entry workflows, summarization workflow, the act of summarization (clinical judgement and skills), or implementation-level technical layers.
- Representation by specific coding schemes, terminologies or transport formats is not part of this document.
Practical Applications
- Creates a standardized, implementation-neutral basis for producing concise patient summaries used in:
- Cross‑border emergency care and referrals
- Transitions between care settings (hospital → primary care)
- Telemedicine and remote consultations
- Health information exchange (HIE) initiatives and national IPS strategies
- Enables health IT architects and standards leads to design derived models that map the IPS core data set into local EHR and interoperability technologies.
Who should use this standard
- Health informatics architects and implementers
- EHR vendors and health IT integrators
- Health information exchange operators and regional/national health authorities
- Standards bodies and policy makers defining cross‑border health data practices
Related Standards (if applicable)
- Prepared by ISO/TC 215 in collaboration with CEN/TC 251; this edition supersedes EN ISO 27269:2022.
- Use the IPS as a conceptual foundation when mapping to technical specifications and terminology standards employed locally or nationally.