Interoperability Standards Registry

Interoperability

Interoperability is the capacity for each system on a network to communicate with other systems to share, consolidate, and use data. Interoperable applications and systems automatically exchange data in such a way that the data is accessible, accurate, and secure, with little human interaction needed. Interoperability is possible only when all stakeholders—healthcare organizations, governments, payers, and other players—agree on the standards, technologies, and terminology needed for the exchange of data between diverse systems.

About FHIR

The HL7® FHIR® (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) standard defines how healthcare information can be exchanged between different computer systems regardless of how it is stored in those systems. It allows healthcare information, including clinical and administrative data, to be available securely to those who have a need to access it, and to those who have the right to do so for the benefit of a patient receiving care. The standards development organization HL7® (Health Level Seven®3) uses a collaborative approach to develop and upgrade FHIR.

These are some of the Interoperability Standards which are currently being used

FHIR Resources

Administration

Patient

This profile allows exchange of demographics and other administrative information about an individual receiving care or other health-related services.

PractitionerRole

This profile allows exchange of a specific set of roles, specialties and services that a practitioner may perform at an organisation for a period of time.

Location

This profile can be used to exchange details and position information for a physical place where services are provided and resources and participants may be stored, found, contained, or accommodated.

HealthcareService

This profile is used to describe a single healthcare service or category of services that are provided by an organisation at a location, including a virtual location.

Practitioner

This profile allows exchange of information about all individuals who are engaged in the healthcare process and healthcare-related services as part of their formal responsibilities, is used for attribution of activities and responsibilities to these individuals.

Encounter

This profile allows exchange of information about an interaction between an individual and healthcare providers for the purpose of providing healthcare services or assessing the health status of an individual.

Clinical

AllergyIntolerance

This profile allows a record of a clinical assessment of an allergy or intolerance; a propensity, or a potential risk to an individual, to have an adverse reaction on future exposure to the specified substance, or class of substance.

Procedure

This profile allows exchange of details of current and historical procedures performed on or for an individual. A procedure is an activity that is performed on, with, or for an individual as part of the provision of care.

FamilyMemberHistory

This profile allows exchange of information about health events and conditions for a person related to the patient relevant in the context of care.

Diagnostics

Observation

This profile allows exchange of information of Measurements and simple assertions made about an individual, device or other subject.

DiagnosticReport

This profile allows exchange of the findings and interpretation of diagnostic tests performed on individuals, groups of individuals, devices and locations and/or specimens derived from these.

Specimen

This profile allows the exchange of information about a sample to be used for analysis.

Medications

Medication

This profile is primarily used for the identification and definition of a medication for the purposes of prescribing, dispensing, and administering a medication as well as for making statements about medication use.

Immunization

This profile is intended to cover the recording of current and historical administration of vaccines to individuals across all healthcare disciplines in all care settings and all regions.

Medication Request

This profile covers inpatient medication orders as well as community orders (whether filled by the prescriber or by a pharmacy). It also includes orders for over-the-counter medications (e.g. Aspirin), total parenteral nutrition and diet/ vitamin supplements, and may be used to support the order of medication-related devices.

Workflow

Appointment

This profile allows recording of detailed information about a planned meeting that may be in the future or past. The resource only describes a single meeting, a series of repeating visits would require multiple appointment resources to be created for each instance.

Schedule

Schedule resources provide a container for time-slots that can be booked using an appointment. It provides the window of time (period) that slots are defined for and what type of appointments can be booked.

Service Request

This profile is a record of a request for a procedure or diagnostic or other service to be planned, proposed, or performed, as distinguished by the ServiceRequest.intent field value, with or on a patient.