Health Level Seven International (HL7) is a standards development organization that provides a “comprehensive framework and related standards for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information that supports clinical practice and the management, delivery and evaluation of health services.”

To complement the SIL-TH FHIR course (see previous section on ‘SIL-TH FHIR Training’) in strengthening a skilled workforce for FHIR proficiency in Asia, AeHIN offered FHIR (Release Four or R4) Proficiency Training/Exam Preparation by HL7 to its members. This program aimed to prepare the participants who have basic knowledge of the FHIR standard to take the FHIR (R4) Proficiency Certification Exam by HL7. After the completion of training, AeHIN encouraged the participants to take the HL7 FHIR (R4) Proficiency Certification Exam by providing support for the certification exam cost (315 USD) via reimbursement process. This aimed to further support the participants in building their career in digital health and thus contribute directly in advancing digital health practices in the region.

Participants

Training

Sixty-seven (67) participants successfully attended the three-day virtual training across two batches. The table below shows that the attendees were from a selection of 80 candidates out of 92 applicants. To fill in the 80 training slots, the AeHIN Governing Committee with support from Working Council members reviewed and selected applications. Participants who were enrolled in the SIL-TH FHIR training program were prioritized.

Summary of Number of Applicants, Selected Candidates, and Actual Attendees in HL7 FHIR (R4) Proficiency Training

CohortsSchedule of 6-hour TrainingNo. of ApplicantsNo. of Selected CandidatesNo. of Actual Attendees
1August 11 – 13, 2023 (10 AM – 12 PM IST)1444067
2August 18 – 20, 2023 (10 AM – 12 PM IST)40

Sixteen (16) countries were represented among HL7 FHIR (R4) Proficiency Training attendees; most of the attendees were from Sri Lanka followed by the Philippines then Indonesia (Figure 14).

In terms of sectoral representation, most of the participants (72.7 %) were part of the government

Certification

A separate certificate reimbursement program was offered exclusively to the 67 successful attendees of the HL7 (R4) Proficiency Training. Thirteen individuals expressed interest for and got accepted in the program; however, only two (India and South Africa) got certified within the given deadline. The two certified individuals accomplished the following by November 30, 2023:

  • Completed the SIL-TH FHIR training course
  • Attended the HL7 (R4) proficiency training
  • Passed HL7’s FHIR (R4) proficiency exam (upon paying the certification exam cost at their own cost) any time from September 1 to November 30, 2023:
  • Submitted a copy of:
    • HL7 FHIR (R4) Proficiency Certificate. Note: Certifications dated prior to date of eligibilty were not reimbursed. 
    • Proof of payment

Output

The HL7 (R4) Proficiency Training resulted in the following:

Output 1: HL7 FHIR Proficiency 

The 67 training attendees gained FHIR proficiency, specifically on the following topics:

  • Understanding the format and coverage of the certification exam
  • FHIR Principles
  • FHIR Resource Concepts
  • Overview of FHIR Rest Application Program Interface (API) & Query
  • Profiling & Conformance
  • Practice of answering test questions

In the 6-hour live training, participants were able to interact with the HL7 instructor and other participants from other countries. The participants also received course materials from HL7, which they coud review at their own convenience.

Output 2: HL7 FHIR (R4) Proficiency Certification

Two (2) participants passed the HL7 (R4) proficiency certification exam and submitted all the required documents by the deadline to qualify for the reimbursement program of AeHIN.