Benefit of custom FHIR profile usage

Question

Question

Hi folks,

I am working on a customer project which uses some slightly altered FHIR resources in comparison to default R4 patient resource. I am able to import the structuedefinition as a custom FHIR package and assign it to the ISC FHIR server and the endpoint the IRIS instance provides.

My question is - what is the benefit of using such a custom profil only defining some changes on a resources default definition (e.g. in field optionality)? From my understanding the ISC FHIR server does not validate resources it receives. Furthermore from the custom structure definition of the above mentioned FHIR patient resource no objects/classes or definitions are generated to be used later on.

best regards,
Sebastian

Product version: IRIS 2023.1

Discussion (3)2

Log in or sign up to continue

score 0 · Answer 1 · 2024-05-28T03:24:12-04:00

Hello @Sebastian Thiele
FHIR profiles are primarily used for customisation and it's validation. You can import your profiles by using structuredefinition. From 2023.3 version you can validate your FHIR resource with profiles through standard REST Api calls.

Some additional community link

score 0 · Answer 2 · 2024-05-28T03:56:18-04:00

Hi Ashok,

thank you for the reply. Seems you post misses the additional community links? Anyway - so it´s correct that in releases prior to 2023.3 there is no real use for FHIR profiles only consisting of a structure definition since there is no support for resource validation?

best regards,
Sebastian

score 0 · Answer 3 · 2024-05-28T04:46:26-04:00

There is also the topic of Search Parameters (if defined in the profile).

See from the Docs here and this related video - Working with FHIR Profiles in IRIS for Health (from Virtual Summit 2020).