In the Lao People's Democratic Republic, FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is at the initial stages of adoption for healthcare data exchange. Currently, the usage of FHIR is minimal, with the country exploring its possibilities and planning for a broader implementation. There's an interest in advancing to newer versions of FHIR, specifically R5, indicating an expectation for increased adoption in the coming years. Despite this, there are no regulations mandating the use of FHIR, but there's optimism about its future role in improving healthcare outcomes and workflows.

Rules and Support

  • Health Data Exchange Rules: Currently, there are no specific regulations in place that mandate the use of standards in electronic health data exchange, including FHIR.
  • FHIR Requirements: No specific FHIR requirements have been mentioned due to the lack of regulations.
  • Deadlines and Fines: With no regulations, there are no deadlines or fines for compliance.
  • Funding: There are no government funds available to stimulate the adoption of FHIR.

National Setup

  • Standards Organization: There is a national organization responsible for health data standards, though no specific link or name was provided.
  • Implementation Guides: No base/core FHIR implementation guide exists for the country yet.
  • Terminology Services: A national FHIR terminology server is in the planning stages but not yet available.

Active Use Cases

  • Local Implementations: Specific FHIR standards have been developed for a few use cases, including Immunizations and International Patient Summary.
  • International Standards Use: The country looks forward to adopting international standards like Immunization data exchange and establishing a Patient data center.
  • Key Projects: There are plans for the development of new FHIR standards for more specific use cases and the expansion of FHIR across the healthcare ecosystem.

Who's Using FHIR

Organizations within the Lao People's Democratic Republic are in the early stages of exploring FHIR. The main focus areas for adoption are:

  • Improving healthcare outcomes
  • Enhancing access to information
  • Streamlining care workflows

Success Stories and Challenges

  • Benefits: Early adopters have noted benefits such as lowered costs, improved healthcare outcomes, and better data accuracy for health care indicators monitoring.
  • Real Examples: Not explicitly mentioned, but improvements in data accuracy and health care indicator monitoring have been highlighted.
  • Main Difficulties: Challenges include high investment costs, unclear regulations, lack of FHIR knowledge, and changes in political direction.
  • Future Plans: The country looks forward to expanding the adoption of FHIR, particularly in immunization data exchange and the establishment of a Patient data center.

Future Plans

  • Progress So Far: There has been quite the progress expected in the last year regarding FHIR adoption.
  • Next Steps: Developing a national FHIR data model, establishing a national standards organization, and developing new FHIR standards for specific use cases.
  • Expected Changes: In the next three years, significant cost savings, enhanced care coordination, and a more robust digital health ecosystem are anticipated due to FHIR adoption.

Contributors

  • Permission was granted to use names, but only one respondent's name was provided: THEPPHOUTHONE SORSAVANH, Head of Health Informatics of the Ministry of Health.

This document provides an insight into the current state and future plans for FHIR adoption in the Lao People's Democratic Republic, outlining the early stages of adoption, anticipated benefits, and challenges faced along the way.

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