Effective ECG data conversion solution to solve ECG data interoperability problems

Abstract

ECG graphs show the electrical activity of the heart in function of time. It helps doctors to better understand the actual heart activity of the patient. Before the use of computers in the medical field, the ECG was printed and analyzed on a paper format. Nowadays medical data is archived in digital format and many data formats for ECG data storage are available. The many formats present an important problem of interoperability and compatibility between different data representations. A new technique to solve the interoperability issue and furthermore to store even stream-like ECG data became a necessity to assure better service quality of hospitals and to ensure smooth transition between different formats. This paper proposes a new (working and tested) solution for ECG data conversion, using an intermediate JSON format designed especially for ECG data, from/to SCP-ECG, DICOM-ECG, and HL7 aECG.