Sydney, Australia–Here We Come! - HL7

Work and Fun inRio de JaneiroMarivan Abrahão, MDBy Dr. Marivan Santiago Abrahão, MD, Chair, HL7 BrazilAt the Affiliate Council meeting in Vancouver, Ed Hammondsuggested Latin America as a possible location for anupcoming HL7 working group meeting (WGM). I saw thisas an excellent opportunity to promote HL7 in the SouthernHemisphere. Buenos Aires, the first choice, gained therepresentative support from all HL7 Latin America affiliateboards that was later extended to HL7 Brazil.Although the field of medical informatics has beensteadily developing in Brazil for the last twenty years,standards themselves have not been widely implementedhere. While there were financial risks to conveninga WGM in a country without widespread use ofHL7 standards, it also provided a unique opportunity toexpose the local medical community to HL7 and encourageits uptake. It is also noteworthy that the medicalassistance provider’s market in Latin America, whichdevelops systemic applications for the health chain, iswell developed in Latin America, eclipsing the marketin all of Western Europe. Providing this market with anincentive to participate and understand the value of theIT and HL7 was also a consideration in the decision toconvene the WGM in Brazil.A courageous team from the HL7 affiliates in LatinAmerica assumed the responsibility for planning thismeeting. The planning team included HL7 Argentina,HL7 Uruguay, HL7 Chile, HL7 Colombia and HL7 Mexico.Their efforts, as well as strong support from the HL7International Affiliate Board and the HL7 Board of Directors,made this challenge a feasible reality. While HL7 hasconvened WGMs outside North America, Brazil presentedseveral unique challenges, including the visa restrictionsfor some countries, including the US, the language barrier,and an implicit feeling of fear in facing unknown anddistant lands. Due to these obstacles, attendance at theRio de Janeiro WGM was less than anticipated.Over a period of fifteen days, members from the ISO TC-215 Meeting, the IHIC International HL7 InteroperabilityConference, the IHE Conference and the International HL7Working Group Meeting experienced a very professionalprogram and venue organization, with neat meeting rooms,great lodging facilities and superb food service.Not surprisingly, the unforgettable beauty of the cityof Rio de Janeiro left a lasting impression on theWGM attendees.I have always been curious about the reasons for choosingdifferent cities for hosting HL7 Working GroupMeeting, as the extensive hours spent at the meetingsleaves very little time left for touring. However, the Riode Janeiro HL7 WGM gave attendees the opportunity towork and have fun together. The networking receptiondemonstrated to meeting attendees that fun and workcan go hand-in-hand.It is difficult to express the feeling of pleasure and satisfactionnoticed throughout the meeting, but the overallopinion was very positive. As Catherine Chronaki hassincerely expressed, “creating a legacy that will be hardto match”.I would like to thank Lillian Bigham, HL7 Director ofMeetings for her unfaltering dedication. Her professionalexperience and support helped us overcome thechallenges and make the meeting a success.I am very pleased and proud of HL7 Brazil’s commitmentto making this a successful event for the promotionof HL7 standards in South America.SEPTEMBER 201011