FHIR is mature. The tools are not.
Real businesses and organizations use FHIR servers. They need real, professional tools to help them.
Here are 7 tools I would like to see and that I would use today as part of my work if they existed.
1. Resource Reference health checker
Does the linked to resource still exist? There is no referential integrity in most FHIR servers. I want a way to find these broken links.
2. “Wild extension” monitor
Report on any extensions that are not defined in StructureDefinitions. What are apps putting into the server that we don’t know about? I know — these extensions are allowed. But I still want to know about them.
3. Resource Reference consistency checker
Are references internally consistent? For example: is the same Patient referenced in Encounter, Condition & MedicationRequest?
4. Resource version change visualizer
Compare different versions of a resource side-by-side and show me the changes.
5. Resource Provenance mapper
Track a resource’s changes through Provenance resources — who changed what and when?
6. Source / app activity tracker
View trends for a data source or app. A dashboard that shows me the volume and type of FHIR resources an app is updating or changing in my FHIR server over time.
7. Resource usage monitor
How many of each resource exist? How many were created or updated today?
Each of these tools would provide real value to real businesses who use and depend on FHIR. Especially businesses using managed FHIR servers where the underlying database is hidden.
Maybe some already exist. If they do, please tell us about them.
Are there tools you’d like to see to help you manage your FHIR servers?
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