HL7 FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is a global standard designed to streamline data sharing within national healthcare systems and across systems in different countries. Its introduction aims to bring more consistency to patient care, ensuring that no matter where healthcare professionals (HCPs) are located, they can access the same up-to-date information on medications and their patients.

Within the healthcare industry, this means a patient’s medication information can travel with them from country to country, ensuring that their access to healthcare and treatment is seamless, no matter their location. Traditionally, every hospital or pharmacy around the world runs in its native language with a different set of rules, documenting information regarding a traveler. FHIR acts as a ‘translator’ between all systems by standardizing the information to ensure interoperability between healthcare systems. It establishes a common framework for sharing medication data, such as dosage, form, strength, interactions, and usage instructions. This ensures that HCPs can efficiently access reliable medication information and that patients receive appropriate and safe medication management.

emc’s move to FHIR is a huge leap forward and Datapharm is excited about the opportunities this brings for its customers. But what exactly is FHIR and why is it so important for the Pharma industry?

Why FHIR is critical to the globalization of medicines information

FHIR forms part of a broader industry strategy of improving the provision of electronic product information (ePI) for medicines. ePI for pharmaceutical products includes critical information such as the Summary of Product Characteristics (SmPC) or the Patient Information Leaflet (PIL). To support the growing adoption of ePI, there is a need for a common industry standard whereby information is set in an agreed, shared structure. Healthcare systems across many countries are increasingly embracing FHIR as this standard, bringing more consistency, interoperability, and better accessibility to digital product information.

The ePI FHIR Implementation Guide sets out best practice guidance for generating and presenting ePI for medicines [1]. It defines a set of FHIR profiles, making it simple to exchange ePI documents. The guide covers both pharmaceutical products and biologics (e.g. pre-filled syringes), offering a common language between medicines information and medical devices.

The exchange of patient data between hospitals and other healthcare settings is technically challenging and can often be unachievable due to systems not being designed to use common messaging standards. FHIR is helping to alleviate and minimize these issues.

Reasons to support the adoption of FHIR

Health information must be shared quickly and reliably, regardless of the time or the healthcare setting in which patients find themselves. The interoperability made possible by introducing FHIR bridges the gap between differing healthcare management platforms and systems. It is a universal translator, achieving smooth communication between electronic health records (EHRs), mobile apps, wearable devices, regulatory systems, and supply chains. By doing this, FHIR helps establish a landscape where a person’s health data can be easily understood by their doctor, pharmacist, and health app.

Unlike unstructured or proprietary information, which can be challenging to manage effectively, FHIR structures data consistently. This is crucial in exchanging medicines information as accuracy and conformity are needed for compliance reasons. By implementing uniform structured data and ensuring that it can be understood via different healthcare systems and apps, FHIR can also enhance other areas of prescribing medications, such as the monitoring practices for pharmacovigilance teams. It can simplify the analysis and correlation of data and can bring improvements, including a faster response to adverse events.

FHIR brings another significant advantage: it makes it simpler for patients to view and manage their own health records. This clarity is crucial since today’s leading pharma companies are committed to putting patients at the center of care. By giving individuals immediate, user-friendly access, especially to medication details that can be tailored to their specific needs, FHIR helps them make better‑informed decisions about their treatment.

Final thought

Adopting FHIR has given the industry a global standard for exchanging healthcare data between otherwise unconnected healthcare systems. To date, more than 17 countries have or are in the process of considering implementing FHIR. It is a huge step towards putting to past many of the challenges associated with fragmented healthcare systems and outdated data-sharing processes. In today’s more globalized pharma and healthcare landscapes, adopting FHIR promises to bring a more connected, efficient and patient-centered healthcare system, where critical information seamlessly supports clinical decision-making and personalized care.

References

1. https://build.fhir.org/ig/HL7/emedicinal-product-info/