FHIR API (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources)
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FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is not a single hosted API but an open international standard published by HL7 International for exchanging healthcare information electronically. FHIR defines a common data model and REST API specification for healthcare data — essentially specifying how patient records, diagnoses, medications, lab results, and clinical encounters should be structured and exchanged between different healthcare systems. Any healthcare software that implements the FHIR standard can exchange data with any other FHIR-compliant system, regardless of vendor or platform — making it the foundation for healthcare interoperability globally.
Nigerian health tech developers building Electronic Health Record (EHR) integrations, patient data portability solutions, or health data exchange systems who need to implement the global FHIR healthcare interoperability standard.
FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) is an open HL7 standard, not a single hosted API. Nigerian health systems adopting FHIR include some teaching hospitals and digital health initiatives. Test servers at hapi.fhir.org are free for development. Production use requires integration agreements with healthcare providers.
Features Included
Not Supported
Key Highlights
- Global healthcare interoperability standard (HL7 FHIR R4)
- Resources: Patient, Encounter, Observation, Medication, Condition, Procedure
- RESTful API standard with JSON/XML/RDF formats
- SMART on FHIR for secure OAuth 2.0 authorization
- Free public test server at hapi.fhir.org
- Adopted by US, UK, Australia, and growing Nigerian health systems
- Patient data portability
- Clinical decision support integration
Required Access Documents
- FHIR Server Access AgreementRequiredFor production use, obtain access credentials from the target FHIR server (hospital, health plan, or government system). For development, use the free HAPI FHIR test server at hapi.fhir.org — no credentials required.
Use Cases
- Nigerian EHR Interoperability Platform:Build a healthcare data exchange platform for Nigerian hospitals that implements FHIR R4, enabling patient records to be shared securely between hospitals, labs, and pharmacies using a standardized format — addressing the fragmentation of health data across Nigerian healthcare facilities.
- Telemedicine Patient Data Sharing:Use FHIR to build a telemedicine app where Nigerian patients can share structured health records (diagnoses, medications, lab results) with remote doctors, using FHIR resources (Condition, Medication, Observation) as the data exchange format.
- National Health Insurance Scheme Integration:Implement FHIR as the data standard for a system that collects and reports NHIS (National Health Insurance Scheme) claims data, using standardized FHIR Claim and Coverage resources to improve data quality and processing efficiency.
- Maternal and Child Health Record System:Build a FHIR-based maternal and child health tracking system for Nigerian primary healthcare centers, using FHIR Patient, Observation, and Immunization resources to maintain longitudinal health records for mothers and children throughout pregnancy and early childhood.