In Ireland, FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is currently being utilized to some extent for exchanging healthcare data, indicating a foundational use within the healthcare IT infrastructure. Among the FHIR versions, R4 is notably in use, marked with a usage score of 4. There is an anticipation of a significant increase in FHIR adoption in the coming years, suggesting a strategic move towards enhancing healthcare data interoperability.

Rules and Support

  • Health Data Exchange Rules and Regulations:
    • Ireland has regulations in place mandating the use of standards for electronic health data exchange.
    • Specific mention of FHIR in these regulations is unclear.
    • Compliance deadlines are included, but without fines for non-compliance.
  • Available Funding:
    • It's not clear if government funds are available to support FHIR adoption.
  • Relevant Legislation:

National Setup

  • Standards Organization:
    • Health Information and Quality Authority (HIQA): Visit HIQA
  • Implementation Guides:
    • Currently, there is no base/core FHIR implementation guide for Ireland.
  • Terminology Services:
    • A national FHIR terminology server is in planning but not yet available.

Active Use Cases

  • Local Implementations: National Health App based on FHIR.
  • International Standards Use: European Implementation Guides are in use.

Who's Using FHIR

  • Active Organizations:
    • Health Service Executive (HSE)
  • Main Reasons for Adoption:
    • Regulation and grants
    • Improving health outcomes
    • Enhancing care workflows
    • Driving innovation
  • How FHIR is Used:
    • For developing EHR (Electronic Health Record) systems
    • By app developers for creating health applications
    • In clinical registries

Success Stories and Challenges

  • Benefits:
    • Improved access to information through the National Health App.
  • Challenges:
    • A notable lack of FHIR knowledge among stakeholders
    • Requires strategic and governance directions
  • Future Plans:
    • Looking forward to the Shared Care Records use case.

Future Plans

  • Progress So Far:
    • Ireland has made more progress than expected in the last year regarding FHIR adoption.
  • Next Steps:
    • Development of a national FHIR data model.
    • Launch of pilot projects with selected healthcare stakeholders.
    • Expansion of FHIR adoption across the healthcare ecosystem.
  • Expected Changes:
    • Significant cost savings, enhanced care coordination, and a robust digital health ecosystem anticipated within the next three years due to FHIR adoption.

Contributors

  • Patrick Marren - MyHealth@EU Team Lead at Health Service Executive

The above summary is based on the answers to the State of FHIR Survey 2025, organized by Firely and HL7 International.