Home Documents Compendium HT Projects 94-98 Updated: Aug 13, 1999 

This is the most recent structured information on this project. Complementary data can be found on previous documents

NDSNET

Harmonisation of Nephrology Data Systems within Regional Networks

Project code: HC 3002
Project value: 561.0 KECU
EC contribution: 280.0 KECU
Number of partners: 9
Number of countries: 5
Duration:35 months
Starting date: Jan 6, 97
               
Contact: Kurt Majcen
Institute of Information Systems & Information Management
JOANNEUM RESEARCH Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
Steyrergasse 17, A-8010 Graz
AUSTRIA

Tel: +43-316-876-1636
Fax: +43-316-876-1191
E-mail: kurt.majcen@joanneum.ac.at
Web Site: http://iis.joanneum.ac.at/ndsnet/

Overview

NDSNET is a healthcare informatics project run by an international consortium led by the Institute for Informationsmanagement at JOANNEUM RESEARCH located in Graz, Austria. The project aims to harmonize data exchange in the field of nephrology within different partners connected to a regional and furtheron to national and international networks. NDSNET provides the European Community with an interface between heterogenious Nephrology Data Systems (NDS) and the information superhighway. This interface is based on international communication standards and is scalable to the needs of the participating partners. Its prototype is based on a UNIX system.

Purpose and objectives

The project NDSNET is one step in the direction of harmonizing data exchange in the field of nephrology within different partners (medical professionals, medical units, patients, health authorities, ...) connected to a regional and furtheron to national and international networks. NDSNET is the consequence of the current situation where many dialysis and transplantation centres are already equipped with local information systems based on heterogenious hardware and software components that do not allow direct interconnection of different sites. To achieve interoperability between these systems it is necessary on one hand to harmonize the data exchange between the partners connected to the network and on the other hand to develop an interface that provides the interconnection of different systems.

NDSNET provides the European Community with an interface between heterogenious NDS and the information superhighway. The interface based on international communication standards is scalable to the needs of the participating NDSNET partners. It consists of a server and a client component. The server includes a generic part providing high telecommunication and database functionality to all partners and a local NDS site specific component which provides the necessary data conversion from the local database to the harmonized database hosted at the server. The server contains at the minimum level following system components: a relational database system managing the harmonized NDSNET database, conversion utilities for data exchange with the site specific NDS, an email server and a generic target system in front of the database supporting standardized search and retrieval functions. The client provides at the minimum level Telnet Access to the Network using a simple terminal emulation. Both modules (client and server) can be extended by components enabling common internet services (http, ftp, WWW, list-server).

The prototype of the NDSNET-Interface is based on a UNIX system and uses mainly low cost hardware (PC, LINUX) and software being free of charge or available on a small one time licence fee. Even the prototype system can already be used as a production system, some or all components can be substituted by commercially available components (eg. ORACLE, Windows-NT, ...). Within the project it is not foreseen to migrate the server component to another platform. As alternative an MS-Windows version of the NDSNET client will be available. Since the popular Internet is used as network component and the supported protocol TCP/IP can be used on a modem line, the minimium requirements to join NDSNET consist in having a modem, a telephone line and the NDSNET-Client System on a low cost PC.

The benefits of NDSNET to the partners and patients are manyfold. NDSNET enables and supports amongst others: mobility of patients, exchange and security of data on different levels, gateways to external systems, independent operation and quality assurance.

The partners being application sites within NDSNET are coming from several european countries. Besides the project partners it is intended to contact Scandinavian centres to achieve a broad European dimension as possible within the project.

Results

The purpose of the NDSNET exploitation will be to ensure that further development in the area of system interconnection will enable the different user sites to become interconnected with the pilot application using harmonized data exchange. This will be deepened to potentially extend the interconnected services to users in all related levels (local, coordinating) and thereby harmonize on an European level the open-up of systems. The use of open standards as used in the internet world and EDI will promote this. This is an important step on the way to resource sharing and cooperation based on seamless integration between different systems as well as creating an extremely valuable source of information from high quality and rapid information delivery for the NDSNET users.

The project partners responsible for software development are prepared to undertake the maintenance and support for the developed and integrated software and address its use to meet future revisions. This will be backed up by participation in any project presentations and submission of publication material on the NDSNET project.

NDSNET provides complementary operations to other partners, e.g. to the German project ”QuaSi-Niere” (Qualitätssicherung Niere).

Even not explicitely in the project NDSNET might be of interest to EDTA (”European Dialysis and Transplant Association/European Renal Association“). Due to the fact that the response of several member states to the international network has gone back, in many european countries national activities have been set up to build national registers (e.g. RENINE). In the future it is foreseen that these national registers will be merged to provide continuously international comparison based on data coming from 35 countries.

During the exploitation phase of NDSNET it is planned and all partners agreed to approach other relevant organisations too, like:

Dissemination
The objective of dissemination will be to ensure that information from and about the project will be spread during the project period, and that the results will be published. Another objective will be to find the best way to disseminate the information from and about the project to the medical community as a whole.

A "project archive" will be generated to ensure that all partners receive the distributed information, internal and external and that they are delivered to the "project archive". This archive is organized in electronic form and will be put on a WWW-server at JR

The NDSNET project will provide an information infrastructure from which a wide range of medical institutions and patients can benefit. The NDSNET application at the coordination level as well as at dialysis centre level is typical for data exchange and data access on an European level. For example, multicentre drug analysis in the field of dialysis only can be done having representative samples available. In most cases, this does not apply at the regional or national level. The data collection process in different levels, ie, local, regional/national, and international is necessary to achieve validated data on high quality level to be merged to international data collections. One function of NDSNET will provide to the medical user community the facility to offer international statistics based on actual and high quality national registers.

Social Impact:
The realms of knowledge and information that can be retained in the regional centres is normally only accessible within the establishment itself or by special request. The NDSNET system will enable the accessibility of such data through a pan-European networked information retrieval and data exchange mechanisms and will provide a tremendous scope for such data to become available and utilised. Users in all related subjects will have a means to review, correlate, research and learn about such retained information through an easy to use, intelligent interface based on WWW or a client dedicated to selected functions. One essential factor refers to the mobility of dialysis patients especially on a regional basis.

Economic Impact:
The NDSNET project offers economic advantages to regional centres establishments by providing a cost-effective mechanism of enabling existing data to be accessible via networks to user comminities and by assisting in the long term costs of such medical treatments to patients. NDSNET offers economic advantages to end-users by providing accessibility to retained information.

List of deliverables

Year 1

Year 2

Year 2

List of participants

Partner/Address

Acronym

Voice/FAX

JOANNEUM RESEARCH
Forschungsgesellschaft mbH
Institute for Information Systems & Management
Steyrergasse 17
A-8010 Graz
AUSTRIA

JR

Voice: +43 316 876     -1636 Kurt Majcen
FAX:                          -1191

web: http://iis.joanneum.ac.at/

Med. Klinik m. S. Nephrologie
Campus Mitte
Universitatsklinikum Charite
Schumannstr. 20/21
D-10098 Berlin
GERMANY

QUASI

Voice: +49-30-2802    -5865 Dr. med. Lutz Fritsche
FAX: +49-30-2802      -8471

Allgemein öffentliches Krankenhaus, III. Interne Abteilung Grieskirchner Straße 42
A-4600 Wels
AUSTRIA

WLS

Voice: +43.7242.415   -2171 Dr. Reinhard Kramar
FAX: +43.7242.415     -3993

Medizinische Universitätsklinik Graz
Auenbruggerplatz 15
A-8036 Graz
AUSTRIA

GRZ

Voice: +43.316.385     -2170 Prof. Dr. Herwig Holzer
FAX: +43.316.385       -4426

Landeskrankenhaus Bruck an der Mur, Interne Mediz. Abt.
Tragoesserstrasse 1
A-8600 Bruck/Mur
AUSTRIA

BRK

Voice: +43.2.895   -2295 Dr. Manfred Gruber
FAX: +43.2.895     -2250

Universite Joseph Fourier
AGDUC
BP 41
38701 La Tronche Cedex
FRANCE

AGD

Voice:   +33.4. 38 38 01-58        Dr. Didier Guillon
FAX:    +33.4. 38 38 01-44

Dutch End Stage Renal Disease Registry, RENINE
PO box 4097
NL-3006 AB, Rotterdam
NETHERLANDS

NRDN

Voice:   +31.10.408.1588           Dr. Frank de Charro
FAX:    +31.10.453.0894

Centre for Health Policy and Law
Erasmus University Rotterdam L4-61, Burgemeesster Oudlaan 50
NL-3062 PA, Rotterdam
NETHERLANDS

CHPL

Voice:   +31.10.408.2364           Dr. Frank de Charro
FAX:    +31.10.452.5303

Teaching Hospital Maribor
Ljubljanska 5
SLO-62000 Maribor
Slovenia

MAR

Voice:   +.6237221          MD Karl Pecovnik
FAX:    +.62511388

Participant

E-mail address

Kurt Majcen

kurt.majcen@joanneum.ac.at

Lutz Fritsche

lutz.fritsche@charite.de

Reinhard Kramar

rkramar@ibm.net

Herwig Holzer

herwig.holzer@kfunigraz.ac.at

Manfred Gruber

manfred.gruber@lkh-bruck.at

Didier Guillon

Didier.Guillon@imag.fr

Frank de Charro

fdecharro@csi.com

MD Karl Pecovnik

dializa@sb-mb.si

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