Overview
ISO 22894:2020 - Traditional Chinese medicine - Pulse waveform format - specifies how to encode pulse condition waveforms, applying the Medical Waveform Format Encoding Rules (MFER) to pulse signals used in Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The standard covers recording and exchanging pulse-wave data measured with pulse graph force transducers across settings such as physiological laboratories, hospitals, clinics, community health centres and home care devices.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Encoding rules (MFER application): Defines how to map pulse condition waveform data into MFER-compliant structures, including primary description, auxiliary rules and supplemental information.
- Sampling attributes: Tags and structure for sampling rate (MWF_IVL) and sampling resolution (MWF_SEN) - unit, exponent and mantissa fields are specified to ensure consistent time and amplitude representation.
- Frame and waveform structure: Data-blocks (MWF_BLK), sequences (MWF_SEQ), waveform class (MWF_WFM) and waveform attributes (MWF_LDN) explain how to package waveform frames and identify a “pulse condition waveform.”
- Channel and transducer definitions: Channel quantity (MWF_CHN) and channel attributes (MWF_ATT) support single-channel, line-array and cross-array pulse graph force transducers. Numbering rules for channels (horizontal, vertical, cross arrays) are provided.
- Waveform data and compression: Waveform data tag (MWF_WAV) requirements for alignment and decompression; filter information (MWF_FLT) documents applied signal processing (e.g., low-pass, hum filters).
- Supplemental and patient metadata: Optional tags for measurement time (MWF_TIM), patient name/ID (MWF_PNM, MWF_PID), manufacturer info (MWF_MAN), unique identifiers (MWF_UID), comments (MWF_NTE) and character code (MWF_TXC).
- Implementation guidance: Annex A supplies an example encoding; the standard references ISO 19614 (pulse transducers) and ISO 22077-1 for symbol/tag definitions. It also notes that interpretation codes or measurement values can be represented using HL7 or XML where appropriate.
Applications and who uses it
- Device manufacturers: implement a standardized file/stream format for pulse graph force transducers (single or array) to ensure consistent sampling, channel mapping and metadata.
- Healthcare providers and TCM clinics: record, store and exchange pulse condition waveforms for diagnosis, longitudinal monitoring and referral.
- Clinical labs and hospitals: integrate pulse waveform data into patient records and clinical systems while retaining signal fidelity and metadata.
- Health IT and interoperability engineers: develop converters, viewers and archives that support MFER-based pulse waveform files and link with HL7/XML workflows.
- Researchers: collect standardized datasets for signal analysis, algorithm development and comparative studies of pulse conditions.
Related standards
- ISO 19614 - Traditional Chinese medicine - Pulse graph force transducer (referenced normative standard).
- ISO 22077-1 - Symbol and tag definitions used by the encoding.
- Notes: Interpretation or higher-level clinical messaging can be exchanged using HL7 or XML-based standards where applicable.
Keywords: ISO 22894:2020, pulse waveform format, Traditional Chinese medicine, MFER, pulse graph force transducer, sampling rate, waveform encoding, healthcare interoperability.