DRAFT PH Road Safety Implementation Guide, published by UP Manila - National Institutes of Health - National Telehealth Center. 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/UPM-NTHC/PH-RoadSafetyIG/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions
This use case demonstrates how the PH-CORE (Philippine Core) Implementation Guide serves as a foundational layer for domain-specific implementation guides in the Philippine health ecosystem. By establishing common base profiles and shared resources, PH-CORE promotes interoperability, reduces fragmentation, and enables consistent data exchange across different health domains.
Architecture Diagram
The following diagram illustrates the relationship between PH-CORE and domain-specific implementation guides, including the PH Road Safety IG:
Key Components
National Standards Layer
The PH-CORE Base Profiles form the foundation of the Philippine health data standards. These for example should include:
PH Core Patient: Standard patient demographics and identifiers
PH Core Practitioner: Healthcare provider information
PH Core Organization: Health facility and organization data
PH Core Location: Geographic and facility location data
Common Extensions: Reusable data elements specific to Philippine context
Shared ValueSets: Standardized code systems and terminologies
Domain-Specific Implementation Guides
Multiple domain-specific IGs extend PH-CORE for specialized use cases:
PH Road Safety IG: Traffic injury surveillance and emergency medical services
PH Immunization IG: Vaccination programs and immunization records
Future Domain IGs: Additional health domains as needed
Implementation Benefits
The PH-CORE architecture delivers several key advantages:
Profile Reuse (Reduce Fragmentation)
Domain IGs inherit and constrain PH-CORE profiles rather than creating duplicate definitions
Eliminates redundant profile development across different health domains
Ensures consistency in core data elements like patient demographics
Consistent Data Models (Semantic Interoperability)
Establishes shared understanding of common healthcare concepts
Enables seamless data exchange between systems implementing different domain IGs
Reduces integration complexity when systems need to share patient data
Reduced Development (DRY Principle)
"Don't Repeat Yourself" principle applied at the national level
Accelerates development of new domain-specific IGs
Lower maintenance burden through centralized updates to core profiles
National Governance (Standards Alignment)
Centralized governance ensures alignment with Philippine health regulations
Learning from successful international implementations (Netherlands, Germany)
Stronger national coordination leads to better interoperability outcomes
Real-World Systems
The implementation guides hope to be adopted by actual health information systems:
Hospital EMR: Electronic medical record systems in healthcare facilities
EMS System: Emergency medical services and ambulance dispatch
ONEISS (National Registry): National injury surveillance system
National Health Systems: Department of Health information systems
Local Registries: Provincial and municipal health registries
The PH Road Safety Implementation Guide is an example of the PH-CORE architecture in action:
Profile Inheritance
Instead of defining a completely new patient profile, the Road Safety IG:
Maintains compatibility with other IGs that also use PHCorePatient
Avoiding Duplication
The Road Safety IG does not need to:
Redefine basic patient demographics
Create separate practitioner or organization profiles
Establish new identifier systems for common healthcare entities
Enabling Interoperability
When a patient moves through the care continuum:
EMS System records initial injury data using Road Safety IG profiles
Hospital EMR receives the patient data and understands core elements via PH-CORE
ONEISS aggregates injury surveillance data using standardized profiles
DOH Systems can query and analyze data across multiple facilities
All systems share a common understanding of patient identity, provider information, and organizational context through PH-CORE base profiles.
Key Insights
From Firely's International Analysis:
Countries with strong FHIR governance structures (e.g., Netherlands with Nictiz, Germany with HL7 Deutschland) achieve significantly better interoperability outcomes. These countries establish centralized base profiles and actively promote profile reuse strategies across different health domains.
The Philippine health informatics community is adopting this proven approach through:
PH-CORE as the national foundation layer
Domain-specific IGs that extend rather than duplicate
Governance coordination through DOH and standards bodies
Implementation Roadmap
For implementers adopting the Road Safety IG:
Understand PH-CORE dependencies: Review the base profiles your implementation will inherit
Leverage shared resources: Use PH-CORE ValueSets and CodeSystems where applicable
Contribute back: Identify common patterns that could benefit other domains
Maintain alignment: Stay synchronized with PH-CORE updates and governance decisions