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Perform operations on FHIR resources
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Overview

This node enables interaction with FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) servers by performing various operations on FHIR resources. Specifically, the Delete operation allows users to delete a specified FHIR resource by its type and ID from the connected FHIR server.

Common scenarios for this node include managing healthcare data where resources such as Patient records, Observations, or Appointments need to be programmatically removed from a FHIR-compliant system. For example, a healthcare application might use this node to delete outdated or erroneous patient information or to comply with data retention policies.

Practical example:

  • Deleting a specific Patient resource identified by its unique ID from a hospital's FHIR server to remove duplicate or incorrect patient entries.

Properties

Name Meaning
Authentication The method used to authenticate requests to the FHIR server. Options include Basic Auth, Custom Auth, Digest Auth, Header Auth, None, OAuth1, OAuth2, and Query Auth.
Base URL The base URL of the target FHIR server API where the resource resides. Required for connecting to the correct server endpoint.
Resource Type The type of FHIR resource to operate on (e.g., Patient, Observation, Appointment). A comprehensive list of standard FHIR resource types is provided, plus an option for custom resource types.
Custom Resource Type If "Custom" is selected as the resource type, this string specifies the custom resource type name.
Tenant ID Optional tenant identifier to include in request headers, useful for multi-tenant FHIR servers requiring tenant scoping.
ID The unique identifier of the resource instance to delete. This is required to specify which exact resource should be removed.
Specify Query Parameters Method to specify additional query parameters for the request, either as key-value pairs or raw JSON. Not typically used for Delete but available for flexibility.
Query Parameters Key-value pairs of query parameters to include in the request URL.
JSON Raw JSON string representing query parameters if specifying them as JSON.
FHIR Path An optional FHIR Path expression to extract specific data from the response output.
Ignore SSL Issues Whether to ignore SSL certificate validation errors when connecting to the FHIR server. Useful for development or self-signed certificates.

Output

The node outputs JSON data representing the response from the FHIR server after attempting the delete operation. Typically, this will be a confirmation of deletion or an error message structured according to FHIR standards.

  • The json output field contains the parsed JSON response from the server.
  • If the server returns any binary data (not typical for Delete), it would be summarized accordingly, but this node primarily deals with JSON responses.

Dependencies

  • Requires access to a FHIR server API endpoint.
  • Needs appropriate authentication credentials configured in n8n depending on the chosen authentication method.
  • Supports multiple authentication schemes including OAuth1, OAuth2, Basic Auth, etc.
  • May require setting environment variables or credentials in n8n for secure API access.
  • Uses the fhirpath library internally for optional FHIR Path evaluation on responses.

Troubleshooting

  • Common issues:
    • Incorrect or missing resource ID will cause the delete operation to fail.
    • Invalid or expired authentication credentials will result in authorization errors.
    • Network or SSL certificate issues may block connection unless "Ignore SSL Issues" is enabled.
    • Using an unsupported or misspelled resource type can cause errors.
  • Error messages:
    • "The operation "Delete" is not supported": Indicates an invalid operation parameter; ensure "Delete" is selected.
    • "JSON Query parameter must be valid JSON.": Occurs if JSON input for query parameters is malformed.
    • HTTP 404 or similar errors indicate the resource was not found or already deleted.
  • Resolutions:
    • Verify resource ID and resource type correctness.
    • Check and refresh authentication credentials.
    • Enable "Ignore SSL Issues" only if you trust the server and understand the risks.
    • Validate JSON inputs carefully before execution.

Links and References

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