Fragmented global standards development organisations

Standards are known to significantly influence trade, economic growth, and opportunities for innovation as required to meet the needs of this digital era. This chapter provides a historical overview of foundational information and communication technology (ICT) standards applicable to digital health. This is followed by an exploration of a number of global standards development organisations (SDOs) and their characteristics. Various relevant communities of practice are explored in terms of their historical foundations, areas of focus, relationships with other SDOs, and the values driving their activities. They are presented in three sections, generic ICT SDOs, health informatics SDOs, and communities of practice. Each section includes a summary table that clearly differentiates these entities. A globally agreed vision, strong leadership, and collaboration are required to overcome current fragmentation and duplication associated with the development and maintenance of standards that to date has resulted in an inability to clearly identify the necessary key foundational standards that need to be adopted for a successful digital health ecosystem.