FHIR Applications We Will Build
Below are the applications we will be building in the course of the boot camp. You can find the agenda for the live classes here.
Pre-requisites:
- Basic background in EMRs, and handling data.
- Ability to learn technical concepts deeply.
- (Optional) Basic Javascript.
- (Optional) Basic Java.
1. Patient Management Portal
We will start with: A live FHIR Server
We will build: A Patient Manager application that does the following:
- List the patients on a FHIR server, displaying their name, gender and date of birth
- Create patients by submitting a form with the patient's name, gender, date of birth and phone number. Proper validation needs to be done on all fields.
- Allow update of all patients who are on the FHIR server by opening them on the same form and updating details.
- Search patients by their name or phone number.
This application will be built in Javascrip. The frontend framework can be chosen by the candidate. The sample application in the tutorials will be built using Svelte.
Concepts covered:
- FHIR REST Paradigm and How It Works
- FHIR Resource Structure and Validation
- FHIR CRUDS API operations
- FHIR Search parameters
2. SMART on FHIR Standalone Patient Application
We will start with: Epic FHIR Sandbox Credentials
We will build: A SMART on FHIR Application where the Patient logs into Epic and pulls all of their data. We will cover the following:
- A UI for the patient to connect to their Epic account.
- Display a Patient welcome screen with their name, gender, date of birth and identifier.
- List all of the Patient's Medications.
- List all of the Patient's Lab Reports.
- List all of the Patient's Vital Signs.
This application will be built in Javascript. The frontend framework can be chosen by the candidate. The sample application in the tutorials will be built using Svelte.
Concepts covered:
- What is SMART on FHIR?
- OAuth2 and Authentication Basics
- FHIR USCDI Profile and Resources
- SMART on FHIR Authentication Scopes and Context
- SMART on FHIR Standalone Patient Launch
- Authorised FHIR REST API access and limitations
3. SMART on FHIR EHR Launched Practitioner Application
We will start with: Cerner FHIR Sandbox Credentials
We will build: A SMART on FHIR Application where the Practitioner launches the app from the EHR and views alerts about specific issues. We will cover the following:
- A UI for the application to automatically log in to the Cerner account if launched.
- Display a Patient banner with their name, gender, date of birth and identifier of the patient context launched.
- List all of the Patient's Vital Signs.
- Create new Vital Sign entries - At least pulse rate and blood pressure.
- Analyse the Vital Signs and provide alerts if any of them are abnormal.
This application will be built in Javascript. The frontend framework can be chosen by the candidate. The sample application in the tutorials will be built using Svelte.
Concepts covered:
- What is SMART on FHIR EHR Launch?
- Understanding SMART Practitioner Scopes and User Context
- The SMART on FHIR Launch Token
- Selecting FHIR Resources of Importance
- Authorised FHIR REST API access as a Practitioner
4. SMART on FHIR Backend and Bulk API Application
We will start with: Epic FHIR Sandbox Credentials
We will build: A SMART on FHIR Backend Application where the application automatically pulls data for certain patients at regular intervals and sends notifications via Email if there are abnormalities.
- Initiate this automation every 24 hours.
- Authenticate the application with the Backend credentials.
- Initiate a Bulk API call for a given patient group.
- Get all lab reports of patients in the group.
- Analyse the lab reports and send an email alert to a specific email ID if there are any abnormal lab findings.
Concepts covered:
- What is FHIR Bulk API?
- Introduction to FHIR Groups and Cohorts
- FHIR Bulk API Flow and Mechanism
- SMART on FHIR Backend Authentication Flow
- OAuth2 and JWT RFC7523 Profile
- Bulk API Request/Response with Backend Authorization
This application will be built using a backend programming language. The server framework and language can be the candidate's choice - Java, NodeJS, and Python are preferred. The sample application in the tutorials will be built using NodeJS and Express.
5. FHIR Facade on SQL Database
We will start with: A Postgres database with Patient data
We will build: A FHIR API should be built on top of the Postgres database using HAPI FHIR library to do the following:
- List all Patients with pagination.
- Search Patients by their name and identifier.
- Get a specific patient by their logical identifier.
- Create a new patient in the database.
This application will be built in Java and the HAPI FHIR Java library. The tutorials will use Spring Boot and HAPI FHIR Plain Server to build the application.
Concepts covered:
- What is a FHIR Facade?
- Translating FHIR Server REST APIs to Database Calls
- Translating FHIR Bundle REST Operations to Database Calls
- Implementing Authorization on FHIR Facacde
- Drawbacks and Alternatives to FHIR Facades
Your Instructor
Dr Sidharth Ramesh, Founder, Medblocks has deep practical FHIR expertise. At Medblocks, he has been instrumental in finishing projects ranging from helping small companies with SMART on FHIR applications for US customers to helping the Andra Pradesh Government setup FHIR for ABDM in India. He has also officially completed HL7's FHIR Fundamental and Intermediate certification. He is passionate about teaching and his Definitive FHIR playlist on YouTube has already helped thousands of people around the world with FHIR.
FHIR® is the registered trademark of Health Level Seven International and use of these trademarks does not constitute an endorsement by HL7.