Disparate systems, disparate data: Integration, interfaces, and standards in emergency medicine information technology

As part of the broader informatics consensus initiative sponsored by Academic Emergency Medicine, this report addresses the issues of integration, interfaces, and data standards and how they are relevant to information management in emergency medicine. The purpose of this report, and the workgroup that contributed to its content, is to provide emergency physicians and other stakeholders in the emergency informatics community a sense of direction as they design, build, and/or choose systems. Problems are identified, strategies to address these problems are discussed, and consensus recommendations are provided.