FHIR Terminology Service Connectathon, Manila

The CSIRO SSCP team and UP Manila SILab jointly conducted the inaugural FHIR Connectathon for the digital health community in the Philippines. Terminology, and its correct usage, is fundamental to all digital health activities. The Terminology Services Connectathon provided a collaborative platform for key in-country stakeholders, regional development partners, and the digital health community to bridge the gap between the technical and business aspects of healthcare, transitioning from theoretical discussions to real-world implementation.

The primary objectives of the Connectathon were to:

  • Introduce the terminology services and the use of HL7 Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) specifications.
  • Gather input and feedback on the development of specifications and infrastructure for the future National Terminology Service (NTS), focusing on required functionalities and priorities for implementers and users.
  • Develop a community of interest to support the ongoing development and implementation of the NTS.

The Connectathon spanned two days. On Day 1, the focus was on presentations from the Department of Health and PhilHealth, as well as international digital health experts, regarding the use of FHIR, terminology services, and national implementations like Australia’s National Clinical Terminology Service (NCTS) and the SPARKED program. Representatives from the Digital Transformation Office (DTO), Indonesia, also attended and shared the progress of their Terminology Services initiative, a project supported by CSIRO through a separate collaboration. Rory Davidson, Chief Digital Officer, SNOMED International, also shared case studies from global implementations of SNOMED.

Day 2 was dedicated to hands-on activities for developers, clinicians, and data scientists. Participants engaged in a series of coordinated tasks, including identifying CodeSystems, ValueSets, and ConceptMaps, publishing ValueSets using Ontoserver, and applying these ValueSets in real-world examples, such as a patient intake form. This practical approach allowed participants to experience a complete workflow, demonstrating the real-world applicability of terminology services in healthcare.