WHO Regional Offices CodeSystem v1.6.0 Released: Advancing FHIR-Based Standardization

Details

This document provides the specification definition for WHO's 'WHORegionalOffices CodeSystem' version 1.6.0. This code system defines codes for major WHO regional offices, including Africa (AFRO), the Americas (AMRO), Eastern Mediterranean (EMRO), Europe (EURO), South-East Asia (SEARO), and Western Pacific (WPRO), as well as 'OTHER' participants. Technically, this specification is built upon FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) v5.0.0 and is available in XML, JSON, and TTL formats. By utilizing this standardized code system, it becomes possible to uniformly handle regional identifiers within healthcare data generated by WHO member states and related organizations. This serves as a crucial foundation for significantly improving the collectability and comparability (Interoperability) of data in international public health projects and research. In Japan's healthcare IT sector, adherence to international guidelines is vital. The use of such standardized code definitions assists in ensuring data structure and interoperability when participating in international cooperation-based medical data exchange systems or multinational research projects.