Most Used FHIR Resources in Clinical Settings: A Data-Driven Report

In recent years, the Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard has become a vital framework for health data exchange, transforming how healthcare systems interact and share information. Developed by Health Level Seven International (HL7), FHIR organizes health data into “resources” — modular elements that can be easily managed, retrieved, and updated. Each resource, such as “Patient,” “Observation,” or “MedicationRequest,” represents a key component of clinical information, making it simpler to exchange data in real time across diverse health systems and platforms. This flexibility allows FHIR to be customized for specific workflows, improving interoperability and efficiency in clinical settings. Also, robust open-source and commercial solutions for FHIR integration, such as the Kodjin FHIR server, allow data to be managed in the FHIR-first way.

In this article, we analyze the top FHIR resources most frequently used in clinical environments, detailing how these resources support patient care, enhance workflows, and drive the adoption of interoperable systems in healthcare. With a data-driven approach, we explore the importance of FHIR in clinical operations, examine case applications, and discuss emerging trends in FHIR adoption.

Table of Contents

1. What Are FHIR Resources? An Overview
2. Why FHIR Resources Matter in Clinical Settings
3. Top 7 Most Used FHIR Resources: A Data-Driven Analysis
4. Clinical Applications of High-Use FHIR Resources
5. Challenges in Implementing FHIR Resources
6. Future Trends in FHIR Usage in Healthcare
7. Conclusion
8. Frequently Asked Questions

What Are FHIR Resources? An Overview

FHIR resources are the essential building blocks of the FHIR standard, each representing a distinct, meaningful piece of health data. These resources are modular and RESTful, which means they can be easily called through APIs to retrieve or update specific health data. Resources like “Patient,” “Observation,” and “Procedure” can be combined to suit various use cases and customized to meet the demands of specific clinical environments. Because FHIR is based on internet standards (such as HTTPS and REST), these resources are both developer-friendly and highly adaptable to modern health IT applications, including EHRs, patient portals, and telehealth platforms.

This modularity and adaptability make FHIR an ideal choice for healthcare organizations that require scalable, secure, and efficient data exchange. FHIR’s unique approach allows each resource to function as a standalone element, yet it is also capable of interacting with other resources to create complex data workflows.

Why FHIR Resources Matter in Clinical Settings

Interoperability in healthcare has long been an industry challenge, with fragmented systems often unable to communicate effectively. FHIR resources offer a standardized approach to data sharing, enabling healthcare providers to access accurate, up-to-date information from multiple sources, regardless of their EHR system or platform. For clinicians, this means:

• Timely Access to Patient Data: Real-time access to patient data, enhancing the speed and quality of clinical decision-making.
• Improved Patient Outcomes: By reducing redundancy and improving information accuracy, FHIR helps ensure that providers deliver coordinated, informed care.
• Streamlined Clinical Workflows: With FHIR, essential data elements are readily accessible, which simplifies the retrieval and sharing process and reduces delays in patient care.

Healthcare organizations are increasingly adopting FHIR to align with regulatory mandates, such as the U.S. Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule, which calls for improved data access across health systems.

Top 7 Most Used FHIR Resources: A Data-Driven Analysis

The following FHIR resources are among the most widely used in clinical settings due to their relevance in supporting critical aspects of patient care and clinical workflows.

FHIR Resource	Description	Common Clinical Application
Patient	Stores patient demographics and identifiers	Patient tracking and identification
Observation	Captures lab results, vital signs, etc.	Lab tests, clinical observations
Condition	Documents clinical diagnoses	Recording conditions and comorbidities
MedicationRequest	Manages prescriptions	Medication tracking and ordering
Procedure	Records performed procedures	Documenting surgeries, therapies
AllergyIntolerance	Notes known allergies	Preventing adverse reactions
Encounter	Logs patient visits	Tracking patient interactions and care episodes

These resources play a fundamental role in enabling clinicians to track patient history, manage medication records, and document clinical observations.

Clinical Applications of High-Use FHIR Resources

The top FHIR resources serve essential functions in clinical workflows, helping to record, retrieve, and share critical patient data across settings. Here, we delve into specific applications for each resource, highlighting how they contribute to streamlined clinical operations and improved patient outcomes.

1. Patient Resource

The Patient resource is the backbone of FHIR-based systems, as it holds core demographic information like the patient’s name, gender, birthdate, and unique identifiers. Every clinical encounter, prescription, and observation is tied back to the Patient resource.

• Example Use Case: In hospital systems, the Patient resource is regularly accessed to verify identity, enabling staff to manage patient data accurately across departments. It also serves as the foundation for building a complete health record.

2. Observation Resource

The Observation resource is versatile, capturing a range of clinical data, including lab results, vital signs, and physical assessments. Because it supports both structured and unstructured data, Observation is frequently used in clinical systems that track ongoing health indicators.

• Example Use Case: Laboratories use the Observation resource to record test results, enabling clinicians to access and monitor patient lab results in real time, whether they’re tracking glucose levels, blood pressure, or other key metrics.

3. Condition Resource

The Condition resource records patient diagnoses, illnesses, and clinical problems. This resource is particularly valuable for managing chronic conditions and long-term care plans.

• Example Use Case: In EHRs, the Condition resource helps providers create and maintain an updated problem list for each patient. This list aids clinicians in tracking chronic illnesses and comorbidities that affect treatment choices and patient outcomes.

4. MedicationRequest Resource

The MedicationRequest resource is used to manage and track medication prescriptions, including dosage, timing, and prescribing provider. It plays a critical role in managing patient medications, especially for individuals with multiple prescriptions.

• Example Use Case: Pharmacies and hospitals use the MedicationRequest resource to track and fulfill prescriptions. This ensures that patient records reflect current medications, preventing adverse interactions and errors.

5. Procedure Resource

The Procedure resource documents surgical and therapeutic procedures. By maintaining records of all performed procedures, this resource enables healthcare providers to track interventions and monitor patient recovery.

• Example Use Case: Surgical departments rely on the Procedure resource to keep a comprehensive history of surgeries, physical therapy sessions, or other interventions, forming a part of the patient’s long-term medical history.

6. AllergyIntolerance Resource

The AllergyIntolerance resource logs known allergies and intolerances, which is crucial for safeguarding patients against adverse reactions, especially during medication ordering.

• Example Use Case: In medication ordering systems, the AllergyIntolerance resource provides alerts if a prescribed drug conflicts with a patient’s documented allergies, thereby enhancing patient safety.

7. Encounter Resource

The Encounter resource records each interaction between a patient and healthcare providers, whether it’s an outpatient visit, an emergency room admission, or an inpatient stay. This resource is essential for tracking the context and nature of each care episode.

• Example Use Case: Hospitals use the Encounter resource to log patient visits, creating a detailed timeline of patient interactions and linking each encounter with relevant conditions, procedures, and observations.

Challenges in Implementing FHIR Resources

While FHIR offers numerous advantages, its implementation in clinical settings is not without obstacles.

Data Privacy and Compliance

The sharing capabilities of FHIR require healthcare organizations to carefully manage privacy risks. Compliance with standards like HIPAA (Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act) in the U.S. and GDPR (General Data Protection Regulation) in Europe is essential, as both demand strict data protection and privacy safeguards.

Legacy System Integration

Many healthcare facilities still operate on legacy systems that are not designed for modern data exchange protocols, complicating FHIR integration. This often necessitates middleware solutions, custom coding, or upgrading infrastructure.

Resource Customization

Customizing FHIR resources to meet the specific needs of individual healthcare settings can be time-consuming and costly, especially in large healthcare networks where unique workflows and systems exist across departments.

Future Trends in FHIR Usage in Healthcare

The future of FHIR is set to evolve with emerging healthcare trends, including advanced analytics, AI-driven insights, and remote patient monitoring. The following trends illustrate how FHIR resources will shape the next generation of healthcare interoperability.

1. Expansion of AI and Machine Learning Applications

FHIR resources provide structured data that supports AI and machine learning algorithms, offering new opportunities for predictive analytics, early diagnosis, and clinical decision support.

• Example: Using the Observation resource, AI can analyze lab results and detect patterns associated with diseases such as diabetes or cardiovascular conditions, potentially predicting health risks before they become critical.

2. Increased Use in Remote Patient Monitoring

With the growth of telehealth and remote monitoring, FHIR is set to play a key role in data sharing from wearable devices and home health applications. The Observation resource is especially valuable for tracking real-time health data from patients at home.

• Example: Chronic condition management applications can use FHIR Observation data to monitor metrics such as blood pressure and heart rate, allowing for proactive care management.

3. Interoperability Beyond Traditional Healthcare

FHIR is expected to extend beyond conventional healthcare settings, facilitating data exchange across payers, research institutions, and public health agencies. This expansion will broaden the scope of FHIR, making it a comprehensive framework for diverse health data ecosystems.

Conclusion

The adoption of FHIR resources in clinical settings represents a significant advancement in healthcare interoperability, enabling seamless data exchange, improving patient care, and enhancing clinical workflows. By standardizing essential patient information, FHIR resources like Patient, Observation, and MedicationRequest provide the foundation for coordinated, efficient, and patient-centered care. As healthcare continues to evolve toward value-based models, the role of FHIR resources will only grow, supporting a more integrated, accessible, and data-driven healthcare system.

Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are FHIR resources?

FHIR resources are modular elements of data in the FHIR standard, designed to represent individual pieces of health information, such as patient data, lab results, and medications, which can be easily exchanged between healthcare systems.

2. How do FHIR resources improve interoperability?

FHIR resources enable standardized data exchange between disparate healthcare systems, making it easier to access, share, and update patient information, which promotes continuity of care.

3. Are FHIR resources secure?

Yes, FHIR implementations can be secured through HTTPS, OAuth, and compliance with privacy regulations like HIPAA, which protect patient information during data exchanges.

4. Can FHIR resources support telehealth?

Yes, FHIR resources like Observation can support telehealth by facilitating the transfer of patient data from remote devices, allowing healthcare providers to monitor and manage patients outside of clinical settings.

5. What are the most common challenges with FHIR implementation?

Common challenges include data privacy concerns, integrating FHIR with legacy systems, and customizing resources for specific organizational workflows, all of which require careful planning and investment.

References

1. Health Level Seven International (HL7) – Official FHIR Standard Documentation
   HL7 provides the official specifications and documentation for FHIR resources, detailing the structure, use cases, and technical requirements.
   • Link: https://www.hl7.org/fhir/
2. Office of the National Coordinator for Health Information Technology (ONC) – The Role of FHIR in U.S. Healthcare Interoperability
   The ONC provides guidelines and regulations on interoperability in the U.S., including insights on the adoption and application of FHIR for data exchange in clinical settings.
   • Link: https://www.healthit.gov/
3. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) – Interoperability and Patient Access Final Rule
   CMS outlines the Interoperability and Patient Access Rule, which mandates data-sharing capabilities in healthcare and promotes the use of FHIR to support patient access and provider communication.
   • Link: https://www.cms.gov/
4. Journal of the American Medical Informatics Association (JAMIA) – FHIR Adoption and Impact on Healthcare Interoperability
   This peer-reviewed journal provides research articles on health IT standards and offers insights on FHIR’s role in interoperability, healthcare efficiency, and improved patient outcomes.
   • Link: https://academic.oup.com/jamia
5. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) – HIPAA and Health IT Standards
   HHS provides resources on HIPAA compliance and how it intersects with health IT standards like FHIR to protect patient data privacy.
   • Link: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/index.html