For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions

1.3. Scope

The Ontario eForms HL7® FHIR® Implementation Guide is aimed at EMRs and others who will need to display Ontario Health Questionnaires and allow individuals to complete these forms. It is intended to define a shared set of rendering and processing requirements that span the various use-cases that Ontario Health has for Questionnaires and thus ensures that form rendering and data collection processes are consistent across use-cases. The intended outcome is that EMRs can use a single shared software component to manage form rendering and filling and that individuals will have a consistent experience regardless of the purpose for which they are filling out forms.

1.3.1. In Scope

This IG only covers the generic capabilities that are independent of the business use-cases for the forms. Specifically, it covers:

• What data elements are allowed to appear in Ontario Health-supplied Questionnaires, and what constraints (cardinality, terminology, etc.) exist on those data elements
• What rendering capabilities do form fillers need to have to properly support Ontario Health forms?
• What data validation and flow control capabilities do form fillers need to have to properly support Ontario Health forms?
• What pre-population capabilities need to be supported?
• What data extraction capabilities need to be supported?
• How are completed forms rendered for consumption by downstream individuals?

1.3.2. Out of Scope

This guide does not deal with workflow around forms. Specifically, it does not cover:

• Where are relevant forms located
• How is an individual or system informed that form completion is necessary (or the priority or timeframe for completion)
• What is done with completed forms and/or the data extracted from them, including how this information might be packaged along with other information such as referrals or other types of orders

1.3.3. Relationship to Other Ontario Health Implementation Guides

The expectation is that other use-case specific Ontario Health IGs will reference this IG and set specific workflow expectations around how Questionnaires, QuestionnaireResponses, and associated other resources will be used in satisfying those use-cases. Such guides may provide additional specifics around specific capabilities defined in this guide. For example: what data sources must be supported for form population, what types of resources need to be supported for form extraction, etc.

1.3.4. Relationship to HL7 Structured Data Capture (SDC)

This guide builds on the Structured Data Capture (SDC) implementation guide. This IG contains numerous references to that parent guide, and implementers will need to read and understand referenced portions of that guide. However, this guide also defines some additional capabilities that are not yet covered by SDC. These include:

• The ability for a Questionnaire to define a custom algorithm (expressed using FHIRPath-enhanced Liquid) that describes how a completed QuestionnaireResponse should be rendered. This allows for there to be greater separation between the data collection representation and the data consumption representation. Data may be presented more concisely, in a different order, and with specific information highlighted in a manner that allows a reader to understand the gathered information more easily than if they were to read through all of the asked questions and individ-provided answers as would happen in a traditional QuestionnaireResponse rendering.
• The ability for individuals to answer questions by clicking on an image to select or de-select answers.