Reducing FHIR "Profiliferation": A Data-Driven Approach
Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jul 31, 2025
A Metadata Extraction Approach for Clinical Case Reports to Enable Advanced Understanding of Biomedical Concepts
Published on: September 20, 2018
1MITRE Corporation, Bedford, MA, USA.
Abstract:
Profiling is a mechanism for customizing Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) for particular use cases. "Profiliferation" (profile + proliferation) is a coinage referring to the explosive growth in the number of FHIR profiles over the past few years. By reviewing a broad sample of almost 3000 FHIR profiles from 125 implementation guides, usage patterns were determined. Surprisingly, two items, Observation and Extension, accounted for half the profiles in the sample. FHIR's 80/20 rule was determined to be closer to 65/35, revealing that FHIR is more dependent on profiling than initially intended. Use of the Observation resource was particularly inconsistent. Results suggest that better management of potentially reusable items along with certain changes in FHIR and profiling practices could improve the consistency of FHIR artifacts and reduce unnecessary and potentially incompatible profiles.
Related Concept Videos
01:29Issues And Trends In Healthcare Delivery System
Cost Containment
Payment for healthcare services has historically promoted adoption of costly and often unnecessary or inefficient...
01:30Health Information Technology and Healthcare Information System
Health Information Technology, commonly called HIT, integrates advanced information systems and technology in healthcare settings. Its primary functions include:
01:26Methods Of Healthcare Delivery System
Managed Care System:
The managed care system is designed to control the cost while maintaining the quality of care. The patient's care from admission to discharge is planned by the primary care provider or the case manager, also known as the gatekeeper. In a managed care system, the number of care providers is...
01:18Healthcare Agencies I
01:22Healthcare Associated Infections II: Preventive Measures
The best practices for preventing healthcare-associated infections include hand hygiene, patient risk...
01:27Nursing Clinical Information System
A Nursing Clinical Information System (NCIS) is a specialized type of healthcare information system tailored to meet the unique needs of nursing practice. It incorporates the principles of nursing informatics to streamline information management and improve the quality of care delivery.
Critical attributes of NCIS include: