The following is based on the answers to the State of FHIR survey 2023 from Maria Papaioannou, University of Cyprus.

Regulation

Cyprus has established the Cyprus National eHealth Law (Law 59 (I)/2019) to guide the adoption of health data exchange standards, though FHIR is not specifically mentioned. Compliance with the new standards is expected by January 13, 2024, with fines for non-compliance. The National e-Health Authority (NeHA) is responsible for creating and managing the national Single electronic Health Records Bank and regulating healthcare providers' data banks.

National Standards Development

While there is no dedicated national standards organization for electronic health data exchange, the Cyprus Organization for Standardization (CYS) collaborates with NeHA on EHDEx standardization. A national FHIR data model is in development, accessible on Simplifier.net. NeHA is also working to specify the interoperability standards for integrating local healthcare providers’ databases with the national single EHR data bank.

FHIR Implementation

Currently, the use of FHIR in Cyprus is limited, but significant steps are being taken towards its adoption. The Ministry of Health has issued a decree requiring electronic registration of basic health data sets, with the integration of EU cross-border healthcare services expected to go live in autumn 2023. Further information can be found on the eHealth4U Wiki page.

The Cyprus Federation of Patients' Associations is involved in advocating for healthcare data availability, though not specifically focused on health data standards like FHIR. Despite challenges such as lack of FHIR knowledge and resistance to change, successful use cases like the implementation of the International Patient Summary for eHealth4U are indicative of improved access to information.

NeHA is anticipated to actively support the implementation of FHIR as the main interoperability standard for the national EHR system. The National eHealth Authority of Cyprus can be contacted for more information via NeHA's official website.