OR.NET e.V.

The ever-increasing number of computer-based devices and instruments is leading to a need to integrate medical equipment, systems and software solutions in an overall infrastructure. OR.NET e.V. is a registered association bringing together industrial specialists, clinical staff and researchers, all intent on realizing open and cross-manufacturer integration of medical technology in the OR, intensive care units and other areas of acute medicine. It is our vision to establish safe and dynamic device-to-device communication using state-of-the-art information and communication technology. Following 15 years of research, the enormous relevance of our approach became transparent in the OR.NET project funded by the German Ministry BMBF (until 2016), not least through the participation of more than 50 directly funded project partners and an equal number of associated project partners. The technical outcome of this project was made public in 2018, in the form of three IEEE 11073 SDC standards enabling manufacturers to make their products integrable. Establishing these SDC standards is a declared goal of our association. In addition to prominent publicity work, it identifies and discusses key topics in individual workgroups. Topics currently being addressed through the set-up of demonstration and test centres include requirements for the open network regarding approval, development and initial operation.