Standards

Canadian Standards Release Centre (CSRC)

Canada Health Infoway (Infoway) plays a central role in developing, maintaining, and advancing digital health standards that enable seamless communication across Canada's healthcare system. Through the Canadian Standards Release Centre (CSRC), Infoway ensures that clinicians, health organizations, and technology vendors have access to up-to-date and internationally aligned digital health terminology and exchange standards.

By collaborating with partners such as the Canadian Institute for Health Information (CIHI), Infoway also supports the development and implementation of interoperability standards, ensuring the consistent, secure, and efficient exchange of health data, so healthcare providers can access and share patient information when and where it’s needed.

Key Areas of Focus

Advancing Digital Health Standards

Maintaining and updating essential digital health terminology standards, including the Canadian Edition of SNOMED CT, the Canadian Clinical Drug Data Set, LOINC, pCLOCD, and SNOMED CT International to ensure accurate, standardized communication across care settings.

Enhancing Interoperability and Data Quality

Supporting national efforts to develop and implement interoperability standards that improve how health data is captured, stored, and exchanged, leading to better decision-making and patient care.

Modernizing Terminology Management Tools

Transitioning to new digital platforms to make it easier for health professionals, vendors, and jurisdictions to adopt and integrate digital health terminology standards and ensure alignment with interoperability requirements.

Supporting Public Health, Clinical Initiatives and Stakeholder Engagement

Assisting in the reporting and analysis of key health data, such as organ donation and transplant records, and enhancing vaccine-related terminology for public health surveillance.

In addition, it ensures that stakeholders - clinicians, technology vendors, and policymakers - stay informed by providing regular updates, educational resources, and guidance on the latest changes and advancements in both digital health and interoperability standards.