Healthcare interoperability is one of the key challenges of digital health: systems, applications and devices need to exchange clinical data in a clear, secure and consistent way.
In this context, HL7 standards represent a reference point for managing and sharing healthcare information across different platforms. Their purpose is to define common rules for structuring and exchanging clinical and administrative data, such as patient demographics, medical reports, clinical observations, laboratory results, admissions and discharges.
The new technical article explores the evolution of HL7 standards, comparing HL7 v2, HL7 v3 and HL7 FHIR.
From the message-based model of HL7 v2, still widely adopted, to the greater semantic structure of HL7 v3, and finally to the web-based approach of FHIR, each version responds to different technological and organizational needs.
A specific focus is also dedicated to HL7 FHIR, currently considered the most modern standard for integrating clinical and administrative resources through RESTful APIs.