Introducing a FHIR-Based Toolset for Analyzing Nursing-Related Data

Abstract

Data analytics is a promising strategy to improve both the decision-making of nursing management and supporting nursing research, often constrained by the lack of standardized data sets. The HL7© Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) standard offers a structured approach to addressing this issue, yet accessible software solutions for nursing-related FHIR data analysis are limited. This paper introduces an open-design framework to facilitate data-driven innovations in nursing research and practice, based on current developments in the German healthcare sector, such as the development of nursing-related FHIR specifications and the telematics infrastructure for secure data exchange. We present software implementations developed within this work for secure data exchange (Kommunikation im Medizinwesen Care) and the evaluation and visualization of nursing-related FHIR resources (FHIR QR Vis and FHIR Nursing Dashboard). The feasibility of this approach was validated through two case studies at a German nursing home and a university hospital, demonstrating its potential to enhance data-driven decision-making and workflow optimization in nursing.