Most medical devices communicate with its environment via XML, SOAP etc. Even though it is the modern way of data exchange to our knowledge it is not supported from any hospital information system. Additional software is normally needed which can operate with HL7 message and convert messages into a file format for web service interfaces as expected from medical devices. MEDNOVO HL7 Blackbox works server based as background service and imitates a gateway between systems.

This gateway not only converts HL7 messages into XML messages but takes care for different kinds of transport which are used for delivering HL7 messages. If the web service interface of the connected medical device is used the gateway can generate order and finding messages after processing and finishing an examination. If the used hospital information system can import word or PDF data then the medical device can send it to HIS.

The HL7 interface is an international communication protocol (www.hl7.org) for data exchange in hospitals.
This specification describes only the content of messages but not its transport (data, TCP-IP, serial, etc.). A message contains a number of different segments (MSH = head of message, EVN = type of incident, PID = identification of patient, PV1 = rest of patient). Every segment is divided in various fields and every field contains various components.
HL7 messages are text based. Different parts of one message are separated by specific signs. There are different classifications for segments, fields and components.
HL7 standard means a number of different message types depending on different usages in hospitals. From patient management up to financial transactions all demands on data exchange shall be realised by HL7.

As an alternative to XML data exchange there is the possibility for a direct database connection. MEDNOVO has the knowledge and experience with that database server technology. The MEDNOVO HL7 Blackbox can be connected directly to the patient database of the medical device for reading and writing data. In that case there is no need for XML data exchange which eases installation and support.