FHIR® v0.09 © HL7

Introduction

Implementation

Resource List

Build 1417 (QA Page)

On This Page:

Welcome

Links/Search

Disclaimer

License

Credits

Outstanding Work

Version History

Welcome to FHIR® 1.0

Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR™) defines a set of 'resources' to represent health and healthcare administration-related information. These resources express granular clinical and administrative concepts that can be electronically exchanged in order to quickly and effectively solve system interoperability problems in healthcare and related processes. The resources cover the basic elements of healthcare - patients, admissions, diagnostic reports, medications and problem lists - with their typical data elements and also support a range of richer and more complex clinical models. The simple direct definitions of the resources are based on thorough requirements gathering, formal analysis and extensive cross-mapping to other relevant standards.

Useful Links 1.0.1

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Disclaimer and Warning of Use 1.0.2

FHIR Resource definitions developed by HL7 are derived from the considerable collective experience of the HL7 membership and wide community feedback from the development and application of a spectrum of health care interoperability solutions. However, Resource definitions are generalized to support multiple contexts of use. It is the responsibility of the persons or organizations using these Resources to ensure their use is fit for the particular purpose in which they are used, including validation for clinical and operational use.

Notes on Draft Standard for Trial Use (DSTU) status 1.0.3

FHIR is being balloted as a Draft Standard for Trial Use. A complete description of the rules for DSTU can be found in HL7's Governance and Operations Manual. However, the essential points for implementers are covered below:

The purpose of this phase in the approval process is to gain real-world implementation experience based on a vetted, approved version of the specification prior to locking any particular aspect of the specification "in stone". This specification makes a number of statements about what HL7 will and will not do in future versions of this specification. These statements generally concern expectations around forward and backward compatibility and how the specification will evolve. However, these statements only hold once the specification is approved as a "normative" standard - the approval process that will occur subsequent to DSTU. Between different DSTU versions and between the DSTU and final approved normative version of the specification and its resources, these rules around compatibility and other issues will not be enforced. Elements may be renamed, moved, dropped or otherwise changed. Extensions may be promoted to core elements and core elements may be demoted to extensions. Wire syntax and invocation sequences may be changed. Other breaking changes may occur.

Major changes are not expected, however the risk does exist. If they occur, such changes will not be undertaken without good supporting rationale. However, long term implementability and usefulness of the specification will receive greater weight when evaluating change than impact on existing DSTU implementations. DSTU implementers should therefore provide flexibility in their architecture that will allow them to more easily accommodate changes to the specification. They should also consider how their implementations might peacefully coexist with implementations of future DSTU and normative versions that may not be fully compatible.

FHIR License 1.0.4

FHIR plain English license:

Note: Why not use a standard open source license? We'd like to use Creative Commons or a license listed here, but none of them actually deliver on the plain English intent above in important ways. We aspire to meet these requirements from the Open Source Initiative, though patents are a problem.

While we resolve the questions around the long term license, the following license, adapted from the OMG (thanks for allowing this), applies:

Subject to all of the terms and conditions below, HL7 hereby grants you a fully-paid up, non-exclusive, non-transferable, perpetual, worldwide license (without the right to sublicense) to use this specification to create and distribute software and special purpose specifications that are based upon this specification and to use, copy and distribute this specification as provided under the United States Copyright Act; provided that:

  1. both the copyright notice identified above and this permission notice appear on any copies of this specification;
  2. the use of the specifications is for informational purposes and will not be resold or transferred for commercial purposes;
  3. no modifications are made to this specification.

This limited permission automatically terminates without notice if you breach any of these terms or conditions. Upon termination, you will destroy immediately any copies of the specifications in your possession or control.

GENERAL USE RESTRICTIONS 1.0.4.1

Any unauthorized use of this specification may violate copyright laws, trademark laws, and communications regulations and statutes. This document contains information which is protected by copyright. All Rights Reserved. No part of this work covered by copyright herein may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means--graphic, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information storage and retrieval systems--without permission of the copyright owner.

DISCLAIMER OF WARRANTY 1.0.4.2

WHILE THIS PUBLICATION IS BELIEVED TO BE ACCURATE, IT IS PROVIDED "AS IS" AND MAY CONTAIN ERRORS OR MISPRINTS. HL7 MAKES NO WARRANTY OF ANY KIND, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, WITH REGARD TO THIS PUBLICATION, INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO ANY WARRANTY OF TITLE OR OWNERSHIP, IMPLIED WARRANTY OF MERCHANTABILITY OR WARRANTY OF FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE OR USE. IN NO EVENT SHALL HL7 BE LIABLE FOR ERRORS CONTAINED HEREIN OR FOR DIRECT, INDIRECT, INCIDENTAL, SPECIAL, CONSEQUENTIAL, RELIANCE OR COVER DAMAGES, INCLUDING LOSS OF PROFITS, REVENUE, DATA OR USE, INCURRED BY ANY USER OR ANY THIRD PARTY IN CONNECTION WITH THE FURNISHING, PERFORMANCE, OR USE OF THIS MATERIAL, EVEN IF ADVISED OF THE POSSIBILITY OF SUCH DAMAGES.

The entire risk as to the quality and performance of software developed using this specification is borne by you. This disclaimer of warranty constitutes an essential part of the license granted to you to use this specification.

CONFORMANCE 1.0.4.3

HL7 is and shall at all times be the sole entity that may authorize developers, suppliers and sellers of computer software or specifications to use certification marks, trademarks or other special designations to indicate compliance with FHIR. Software developed under the terms of this license may claim compliance or conformance with FHIR if and only if the software compliance is of a nature fully matching the applicable conformance points as stated in the FHIR specification. Software developed only partially matching the applicable compliance points may claim only that the software was based on FHIR, but may not claim compliance or conformance with this specification. In the event that testing suites or processes are implemented or approved by HL7, Inc., software developed using this specification may claim compliance or conformance with the FHIR specification only if the software satisfactorily completes the testing suites.

Credits 1.0.5

FHIR is a specification produced by the HL7 Community. Many individuals contribute to the FHIR specification. Of particular note:

Outstanding Work Items 1.0.6

These are recognized outstanding tasks that are yet to be completed. There are many tasks still to be done that are not listed here.

Additional open issues can be found throughout the text of the specification and on the FHIR active discussions wiki page.

Version History 1.0.7

Version Major Changes
0.07
(After 2nd Draft For Comment)
  • Change to resource references: id -> url, true relative references, remove version link
  • Introduce contained resources
  • Move primitive values into attributes instead of text. Remove extension.ref, and put extensions in the place they apply
  • Remove special case for data type properties: now they have @id, and the json representation is the same
  • Changes to search: rename special parameters, introduce paging, clarify date searches
  • Change to updates: /[resource]/ is now search, rename to history operation, introduce global updates operation
  • Clarify server obligations on batch & add search specifier
  • Move Person into Patient/Practitioner (which used to be "agent")
  • Rename LabReport to DiagnosticReport & use Observation for atomic data
  • Many new resources, including Order/OrderResponse, Picture, CarePlan

Archived Versions of FHIR

These archives only keep the more significant past versions of FHIR, and only the book form, and are provided for purposes of supporting html diff tools. A full archive history of everything is available through the HL7 gForge archives.

Warning: FHIR is a draft specification that is still undergoing development prior to balloting as a full HL7 standard
Implementers are welcome to experiment with the content defined here, but should note that the contents are subject to change without prior notice.
© HL7.org 2011 - 2012. FHIR v0.09 generated on Tue, Jun 18, 2013 23:25+1000. License