This version of the PS-CA Implementation Guide has been superseded by a newer version. Other releases of the PS-CA Implementation Guide may be found on a table on the Home Page of this Project.
Validation
Companion to many interoperability specifications is conformance demonstrations and testing. Conformance can be tested at several points and at several layers; for example, validation of document content or messaging behaviour. Such activities help ensure interoperability between implementations, easing deployment and reducing post-deployment issues.
Canada Health Infoway envisions a range of proof-of-conformance activities to go along side the PS-CA Specification as part of a larger interoperability program, including:
- FHIR resource validation
- IHE Connectathon-style peer-to-peer testing
- On-line demonstrations
The conformance plan will allow flexibility to accommodate for anticipated jurisdictional tailoring of PS-CA. As of the publication of this implementation guide, the exact nature of these activities is still to be determined.
To complement a Canada Health Infoway conformance plan, implementors are directed to the Conformance and Validating Resources in the FHIR specification.
Validation Tools
Open source, publicly-accessible, and commercially-available validation applications and websites may be useful to implementors who desire to check their products. Some of these include:
- the official Java FHIR validator (documentation),
- an online version of the official validator,
- the US ONC's Inferno Validator, and
- other validators.
Generally, the application or website is given:
- a resource or bundle of resources,
- an implementation guide package (in this case, the PS-CA release package, available this site)
- and a profile to validate the resource against.
Notes:
Unless a validator can be loaded with the PS-CA-referenced terminology or can be directed at a terminology server that supports PS-CA terminology, an otherwise complaint PS-CA resource instance may fail validation due to terminology. None of the listed online validators are currently aware of all PS-CA code systems or value sets.
The above list of applications and websites is not exhaustive. Inclusion in the above list is not a recommendation by Infoway. Several of these tools are under active development; features or availability may change without notice.