Overview
ISO/IEEE 11073-10408:2022 - "Health informatics - Device interoperability - Personal health device communication - Device specialization - Thermometer" - provides a normative definition for communication between personal telehealth thermometer devices and compute engines (smartphones, PCs, personal health appliances, set‑top boxes). As part of the ISO/IEEE 11073 family, this second edition (2022) defines a common core of communication functionality to enable plug-and-play interoperability in telehealth environments by specifying term codes, data formats, information models and behaviors while limiting optionality in base frameworks.
Key technical topics and requirements
- Device specialization for thermometer: Defines the communication role and responsibilities of personal thermometers within the 11073 device model.
- Terminology and term codes: Uses standardized term codes from the ISO/IEEE 11073 vocabulary to ensure consistent meaning for measurements and attributes.
- Information models and application profile: Specifies the information model and required application-level behaviors so thermometer data is represented and exchanged predictably.
- Transport and interoperability constraints: Leverages existing 11073 transport standards and restricts optional features in favour of deterministic implementations to improve interoperability.
- Formats and behaviors: Mandates specific data formats, units and device behaviors (e.g., measurement reporting, device state) relevant to telehealth scenarios.
- Normative approach: The standard is prescriptive where necessary to reduce ambiguity between device firmware, client apps and health IT systems.
Practical applications
- Home and consumer telehealth: Enables thermometers to reliably send temperature readings and device metadata to mobile health apps and remote monitoring platforms.
- Remote patient monitoring and telemedicine: Standardized data exchange supports clinical workflows, alerts, and integration with electronic health records (EHRs).
- Device ecosystems and IoT health appliances: Facilitates interoperable linkage of thermometers with gateways, wearables, and personal health appliances in smart-home health solutions.
- Test and certification: Provides baselines for interoperability testing, QA and regulatory submission evidence.
Who would use this standard
- Medical device manufacturers and firmware engineers designing Bluetooth/Wi‑Fi thermometers.
- Mobile and health‑IT software developers integrating thermometer data into apps and EHRs.
- System integrators, test laboratories and certification bodies validating device interoperability.
- Telehealth service providers and healthcare organizations implementing remote monitoring programs.
Related standards
- Other parts of the ISO/IEEE 11073 family covering terminology, device information models, application profiles and transport layers (refer to the ISO/IEEE 11073 series for specifics).
- IEEE Std 11073‑10408 (originating IEEE document adopted in ISO/IEEE 11073‑10408:2022).
Keywords: ISO/IEEE 11073-10408:2022, personal health device, thermometer, medical device communication, device interoperability, telehealth, plug-and-play.