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2008/SOM3/HWG/007

Agenda Item: III

Establishing Standardized Traveller’s EHR Templates (TET) for the Asia Pacific Region – Introducing TET to the ABTC

Purpose: Consideration

Submitted by: Chinese Taipei

/ Second Health Working Group Meeting Lima, Peru
12–13 August 2008

Establishing Standardized Traveller’s EHR Templates (TET) for the Asia Pacific Region – Introducing TET to the ABTC

Concept

Introduction:

Throughout the year of 2006 to 2007, the TET project was carried out under the endorsement of the APEC HTF and tried to create and standardize travelers’ electronic health summary template within the APEC region, in hoping to benefit travelers for receiving proper health care during travel. With various approaches such as Workshops, Conference calls, group email discussions, online forum and the participation of more than 30 experts from 12 countries, the outcome of the project was the interoperable electronic template for travelers with 3 versions for the economies’ preferences. The TET was constructed with the basis of the XML scheme and the elements of the components have also been settled.

After the first presentation on Feb. 21, 2008, the participants and representatives in that meeting suggested a possibility for the next development: the integrating of the TET into the APEC Business Travelers Card (ABTC) Scheme. The existing ABTC enable a fast and efficient travel for business people within this region, uses a simple automated computer network to transmit the data, and already has 18 economies participated in the framework.

In order to explore the feasibility of interoperability between the two systems, the examination of the ABTC is necessary. After the investigation, the difficulties do exist on the integrations of the hardware, the software and the network. The lack of a chip on ABTC card would be currently the most critical problem to be overcome.

However the Business Mobility Group (BMG) has introduced the expansion of the travel card scheme at MBG SOMII meeting 2007, which included advanced passenger information system and “Machine Readable Travel Documents”. As the upgrade of travel card processing, the integrating the TET into travel card would be a feasible issue.

Goals:

·  Create an international standard travelers’ electronic health summary template (TET) in the APEC region.

·  Develop a portable media for storage and transmission the health data to help the travelers receive instant and proper health care during the traveling.

·  Build a travel health network in the region using new IT knowledge.

·  Boost the related research and technology in this field.

·  Promote health information and technology investment.

·  Encourage the cooperation between economies in this issue.

Next Steps:

·  Pay close attention to the developments of ABTC

·  Modify the TET model to fit in with the ABTC scheme

·  Adopt alternative vehicle for TET