Kenya Emergency FHIR Implementation Guide
0.1.0 - ci-build Kenya flag

Kenya Emergency FHIR Implementation Guide, published by Digital Health Agency (DHA), Kenya. This guide is not an authorized publication; it is the continuous build for version 0.1.0 built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) CI Build. This version is based on the current content of https://github.com/IntelliSOFT-Consulting/Kenya-Emmergency-FHIR-IG/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions

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Official URL: https://nshr-uat.sha.go.ke/fhir/ImplementationGuide/fhir.kenyaEmergencyIG Version: 0.1.0
Draft as of 2026-07-20 Computable Name: KenyaEmergencyFHIRIG

Draft · Version 0.1.0 · FHIR R4

Kenya Emergency FHIR Implementation Guide

Standardizing emergency-care data exchange from dispatch and ambulance response through point-of-care treatment and facility handover, across Kenya's emergency medical services and the Social Health Authority (SHA) claims system.

27 FHIR Profiles
23 Extensions
41 Value Sets
141 Code Systems

About This Guide

This Implementation Guide (IG) defines the FHIR R4 data exchange specification for Kenya's Emergency Medical Services (EMS), published by the Digital Health Agency (DHA) under the Ministry of Health, Republic of Kenya.

The Emergency IG enables interoperable, structured exchange of pre-hospital and point-of-care data — including dispatch and incident information, responder units and crew, on-scene and in-transit clinical assessment, allergies, diagnoses, procedures, medication administration, investigations, and facility handover — across Kenya's ambulance, EMS, and receiving-facility systems.

Current Status: Draft (CI Build) This Implementation Guide is under active development. Content is subject to change. Feedback and contributions are welcome via the Digital Health Agency.

Scope of This Guide

Dispatch and Incident

The root emergency incident encounter, capturing dispatch information, the reporting caller, responding units, participating agencies, scene location, and destination facility.

Point-of-Care Encounter

Direct patient-care encounters performed at the scene or during transport, linked to the root incident and carrying clinical acuity assigned after assessment.

Responder Units and Crew

Ambulances and other mobile response units, their operational status, ownership, real-time position, response status, and assigned crew.

Clinical Assessment

Vital signs (including panel vitals such as blood pressure and Glasgow Coma Scale), triage acuity, and a structured secondary-survey exam profile with an explicit no-findings pattern for every body region.

Diagnosis Staging

A dedicated Condition profile that tracks the diagnosis lifecycle — chief complaint, working or differential diagnosis, and discharge diagnosis — as distinct, staged instances.

Allergies and Safety

Allergy and intolerance records with an explicit "no known allergy" assertion, distinct from simply having none on file, plus a criticality alert Flag for must-see safety information.

Procedures and Medication

Emergency procedures and real-time medication administration, including dosage, route, and administration attempts.

Investigations and Handover

Diagnostic reports (e.g. 12-lead ECG), and the composition, document, and questionnaire structures used to hand the patient over to a receiving facility.

Design Principles

This IG is built on the following principles aligned with Kenya's national digital health strategy:

  • FHIR R4 Compliance — All profiles are valid FHIR R4 constraints that do not relax base resource cardinalities or override required terminology bindings.
  • Kenya-first Terminology — Value sets and code systems reference the Kenya National Health Terminology Service (KNHTS) hosted at ilm-hie.dha.go.ke, the Kenya Pharmaceutical and Poisons Board (PPB), and local Ministry of Health code lists alongside SNOMED CT and LOINC.
  • Interoperability with KHIS/SHA — Resources are designed for exchange with the Kenya Health Information System (KHIS) and the Social Health Authority (SHA) claims platform.
  • Never-ambiguous safety data — Profiles such as the no-known-allergy assertion and the exam no-findings pattern exist specifically so that "not recorded" and "confirmed absent" can never be confused in a time-critical emergency record.
  • Extensibility — Extensions follow FHIR best practices and are named, typed, and scoped to the resources they extend.

Relationship to Other Kenya Health IGs

Implementation Guide Relationship
Kenya Core FHIR IG This IG builds on Kenya Core Patient, Practitioner, and Organization profiles
Kenya NCCP FHIR IG Sibling Digital Health Agency IG for the National Cancer Control Programme
SHA Claims IG Encounter, Condition, Procedure, and MedicationAdministration profiles are designed to feed SHA claims adjudication workflows

How to Read This Guide

  • Background — Policy context and the emergency-care handover problem this IG addresses
  • Use Cases — Supported clinical workflows and data exchange scenarios
  • Artifacts — All FHIR profiles, extensions, value sets, code systems, and example instances
  • Downloads — Package downloads and integration resources
Contact and Feedback For questions about this Implementation Guide, contact the Digital Health Agency FHIR Team at info@dha.go.ke or visit dha.go.ke.

There are no Global profiles defined

This publication includes IP covered under the following statements.