Lesson 01.01
FHIR thinking & the resource model
Understand why FHIR uses small, reusable resources and how interoperability differs from merely moving data.
Real-World Example
Riley arrives at urgent care
The registration system creates Patient/riley-101. The hospital MRN belongs in Patient.identifier; the server-assigned logical id belongs in Patient.id. A later lab result refers to Patient/riley-101.
What You Will Learn
- Explain syntactic versus semantic interoperability
- Distinguish resource identity from business identifiers
- Navigate the R4 specification confidently
Step-by-Step Explanation
Start with the use case
Name the actors, event, information exchanged, and decision enabled. A resource choice follows the workflow; it should never begin with a favorite resource.
Find the nearest resource
Read Scope and Usage, Boundaries and Relationships, then inspect the element table. Prefer a standard element before considering an extension.
Check the contract
Confirm cardinality, data type, flags, terminology binding, invariants, maturity, and normative status.
Inspect and practice
GET /fhir/Patient/riley-101
Key Concept / Interview Takeaway
When two answers look plausible, choose the one consistent with the resource scope and the workflow boundary—not the one with the most fields.
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FHIR thinking & the resource model
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