The Fast Health Interoperability Resources (FHIR) Standard: Systematic Literature Review of Implementations,...

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Computer Science
• Digital Health

Background:

• Healthcare documentation is transitioning from paper to digital formats, enabling electronic patient information transfer.
• Challenges persist due to a lack of standards, emerging technologies, and provider reluctance to share data.
• A systematic literature review was conducted to assess the adoption of new technologies in healthcare, specifically focusing on Fast Health Interoperability Resources (FHIR).

Purpose of the Study:

• To systematically review the literature on FHIR, examining its challenges, implementation, opportunities, and future applications.
• To address the gap in comprehensive reviews focusing on FHIR-based electronic health records (EHRs).
• To highlight FHIR as a developing standard with significant research potential.

Main Methods:

• A systematic literature search was performed in January 2020, covering articles published from January 2012 to December 2019.
• Major databases including ACM, IEEE Explorer, Springer, Google Scholar, PubMed, and ScienceDirect were utilized.
• Out of 8181 identified articles, 80 met the inclusion criteria for detailed review.

Main Results:

• The systematic review of 80 articles identified key aspects of FHIR.
• Findings include open questions, challenges, various implementation models, utilized resources, beneficial applications, data migration strategies, and the overarching goals of FHIR.

Conclusions:

• The literature analysis underscores the critical role FHIR is poised to play in the healthcare sector.
• FHIR represents a significant advancement in healthcare data standards and interoperability.