Searching FHIR Resources in AWS HealthLake: Using POST Method

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This document details the procedure and technical implementation methods for searching FHIR R4 resources using AWS HealthLake. Specifically, the use of the POST method is strongly recommended as a security best practice when performing searches involving Personally Identifiable Information (PII) or Protected Health Information (PHI). This is because sensitive data is added as part of the request body, ensuring encryption during transmission. The process involves identifying the HealthLake region and datastore ID, and determining the target FHIR resource type (e.g., Observation, Patient, Condition). A POST request is then sent to the specified URL along with a JSON formatted body. Within this body, specific search parameters are defined—for example, specifying `value-concept=266919005` to narrow down results for a particular resource. The article provides multiple examples of POST searches across various FHIR resource types, such as Observation and Patient. Each example demonstrates how to construct specific queries using different search parameters (e.g., `birthdate=eq1997`, `code=72892002`, `address=Boston`). It also covers two authentication methods: AWS Signature Version 4 (SigV4) and SMART on FHIR, serving as a technical implementation guide. This information is highly relevant for Japanese healthcare institutions and IT vendors building FHIR-based data integration systems in cloud environments, addressing both security compliance and adherence to international standards.

Technology Note

FHIR（Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources）は医療データ交換の国際標準。このエントリの関連技術: FHIR