Overview
This node enables updating a FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) resource on a specified FHIR server. It supports various authentication methods and allows users to specify the resource type, resource ID, and the update content in JSON format. The node is useful for healthcare integration scenarios where existing FHIR resources need to be modified or replaced with new data.
Typical use cases include:
- Updating patient records with new information.
- Modifying clinical observations or diagnostic reports.
- Adjusting care plans or medication requests based on new inputs.
For example, a user might update an "Observation" resource with new lab results or modify a "Patient" resource to correct demographic details.
Properties
| Name | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Authentication | Method of authenticating with the FHIR server. Options: Basic Auth, Custom Auth, Digest Auth, Header Auth, None, OAuth1, OAuth2, Query Auth |
| Base URL | The base URL of the target FHIR server API (e.g., http://example.com/fhir). |
| Resource Type | The type of FHIR resource to update (e.g., Patient, Observation, CarePlan). |
| Custom Resource Type | If "Resource Type" is set to custom, this string specifies the custom resource type name. |
| ID | The unique identifier of the resource instance to update. |
| Body | The JSON body containing the updated resource data. |
| Patch Parameters | For patch operations, a collection of JSON Patch parameters specifying operations like add, remove, replace, etc. |
| Specify Query Parameters | How query parameters are specified: either as key-value pairs or as raw JSON. |
| Query Parameters | Key-value pairs for query parameters if using fields below. |
| JSON | Raw JSON query parameters if specifying query as JSON. |
| FHIR Path | A FHIRPath expression to extract specific data from the output. |
| Ignore SSL Issues | Whether to ignore SSL certificate validation errors when connecting to the FHIR server. |
Output
The node outputs the JSON response from the FHIR server after performing the update operation. This typically includes the updated resource representation or operation outcome. If a FHIRPath expression is provided, the output will be the extracted data according to that expression.
Binary data is not produced by this node.
Dependencies
- Requires access to a FHIR server endpoint.
- Supports multiple authentication methods; appropriate credentials must be configured in n8n.
- Uses internal libraries for HTTP requests and FHIRPath evaluation.
- No external environment variables are explicitly required beyond standard n8n credential setup.
Troubleshooting
- Invalid Resource Type or ID: Ensure the resource type and ID correspond to an existing resource on the FHIR server.
- Authentication Errors: Verify that the selected authentication method and credentials are correct and have sufficient permissions.
- Malformed JSON Body: The update body must be valid JSON representing the resource. Invalid JSON will cause request failures.
- Patch Operation Errors: When using patch parameters, ensure JSON Patch syntax is correct; invalid operations or paths will cause errors.
- SSL Certificate Issues: If connecting to servers with self-signed certificates, enable "Ignore SSL Issues" to avoid connection failures.
- Multiple Results Error: If "Error if More than One Result" is enabled during search operations, receiving multiple matches will throw an error.
Common error messages usually relate to HTTP status codes returned by the FHIR server, such as 400 Bad Request (invalid input), 401 Unauthorized (authentication failure), or 404 Not Found (resource does not exist).
Links and References
This summary is based solely on static analysis of the provided source code and property definitions without runtime execution.