The IHE Plugathon will hold a hands-on session focused on testing European Implementation Guides for the European Health Data Space (EHDS) primary use of data from March 23rd to 25th at The EGG in Brussels, Belgium. Participants will validate European Union (EU) project test cases, work directly with experts to resolve technical issues, and strengthen their understanding of interoperability tools.
The session will be particularly informative for technical teams and vendors preparing for EHDS-aligned integration, as in the case of the xShare project, and will result in concrete feedback reports and verified implementations.
xShare, an initiative involved in the Plugathon, has been working since late 2023 to propose its Yellow Button, which is to be featured on health portals and apps. The app will allow, effortlessly and using the European Electronic Health Record Exchange Format (EEHRxF), sharing the individuals’ health data across countries
The capabilities offered by xShare will enhance diagnosis and continuity of care, contributing to life-saving research without compromising their privacy, review, manage, and even amend their health data and exercise their General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) data rights
Plugathon participants will gain hands-on experience testing European Implementation Guides relevant to the EHDS primary use of data, including IPS, Imaging, Laboratory, and HDR specifications. Likewise, they will validate and troubleshoot test cases from major EEHRxF European projects, such as the EUDI Wallet and the Yellow Button functionalities.
Assistants will also interact directly with experts from IHE-Europe, national programmes, and EU projects to resolve technical issues and better understand integration pathways. Joining the Plugathon will strengthen, too, their practical understanding of interoperability tools and profiles used for real-world implementation.
In this regard, the profile of the target audience corresponds to technical teams from EU-funded projects preparing for EHDS-aligned testing or integration like Wallet, MyHealth@EU and xShare Yellow Button; Health Information Technologies vendors and developers wanting to test their solution against the European Interoperability Guidelines and Project test cases; as well as anyone looking to deepen their operational understanding of EHDS primary data use through hands-on, expert-supported testing.
The results of the activity will be reflected in technical feedback reports for each participant or team, identifying successes, gaps, and areas for improvement.
Moreover, verified implementations of European Interoperability Guidelines and selected EU project test cases will be carried out, contributing to alignment across countries and vendors, and collaboration between implementers, national teams, and EU projects working toward a harmonised primary use framework will be boosted.
The Plugathon offers a unique educational and testing opportunity within the framework of the renowned IHE-Europe Connectathon. This event provides an opportunity to learn & share experiences and a platform for a specific community to innovate, including on-the-fly connections, with the APIs of health IT product solutions in a standardized way. Ultimately, it is a way to propel projects forward.
Co-funded by the European Union. Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HADEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
