Introduction
Learn the foundations
Introduction to FHIR
Understand FHIR before putting it to work.
FHIR® (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources, pronounced “fire”) is an HL7 standard for representing and exchanging health data. Learn how its resources, terminology, and APIs fit together, and what they mean for research.
Select your role to highlight the content that is most relevant to you:
What is FHIR?
Understand why health data interoperability matters for research, how FHIR combines a shared data model with web APIs, and how it evolved from earlier HL7 standards. Explore the role of certification in shaping available EHR capabilities.
Core FHIR Concepts
Learn how resources represent healthcare information, how references connect related records, and how terminology preserves shared meaning. Examine resource structures and examples, then navigate the broader specification to understand exchange, conformance, security, and clinical reasoning capabilities.
The FHIR Community
Find places to ask questions, collaborate with implementers, and engage in standards development. Compare FHIR with common data models used in research networks, and understand how specification versions influence implementation choices and compatibility across systems.
Using FHIR
Build an understanding of FHIR API requests by exploring resource retrieval, patient searches, and server capabilities. Try practical examples for common research questions, and use the introductory webinar materials to reinforce the concepts behind accessing health data.
Ready for more?
Learn how FHIR and related technologies can help you access EHR data, specify study data requirements, and build and test applications.