Overview
This node enables interaction with FHIR (Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources) servers, specifically to update existing FHIR resources. It supports a wide range of FHIR resource types and allows users to send updated resource data to the server using the HTTP PUT method. This is useful in healthcare automation workflows where patient records, clinical data, or other healthcare-related information need to be programmatically modified and synchronized with a FHIR-compliant server.
Typical use cases include:
- Updating patient demographics or medical history.
- Modifying clinical observations or diagnostic reports.
- Adjusting appointment details or care plans.
- Synchronizing changes from external systems into a central FHIR repository.
For example, a hospital system could use this node to update a patient's allergy information after a new allergy is identified during a consultation.
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 requests are sent. |
| Resource Type | The type of FHIR resource to update (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, specify the custom resource type name here. |
| Tenant ID | Optional tenant identifier to include in request headers for multi-tenant FHIR servers. |
| ID | The unique identifier of the specific resource instance to update. |
| Body | The JSON representation of the updated resource data to send in the request body. This must be valid JSON conforming to the FHIR resource structure. |
| Specify Query Parameters | Method to specify query parameters for the request: either as key-value pairs or as raw JSON. (Not typically used for Update operation.) |
| Query Parameters | Key-value pairs of query parameters to include in the request URL. |
| JSON | Raw JSON string representing query parameters. |
| FHIR Path | An optional FHIRPath expression to extract specific data from the response output. |
| Ignore SSL Issues | Whether to allow connections even if SSL certificate validation fails (useful for self-signed certificates or development environments). |
Output
The node outputs the JSON response returned by the FHIR server after the update operation. This JSON represents the updated FHIR resource as stored on the server, including any server-generated fields such as metadata or version information.
If a FHIRPath expression is specified, the output will be filtered accordingly to return only the extracted data.
No binary data output is produced by this node.
Dependencies
- Requires access to a FHIR server endpoint supporting RESTful FHIR API operations.
- Requires appropriate authentication credentials configured in n8n according to the chosen authentication method.
- Supports various authentication schemes; ensure the correct credentials or tokens are set up in n8n.
- Optionally requires tenant identification headers if working with multi-tenant FHIR servers.
- The node uses the
fhirpathlibrary internally to evaluate FHIRPath expressions on responses.
Troubleshooting
- Invalid JSON in Body: If the "Body" property contains invalid JSON, the node will throw an error indicating the JSON is malformed. Ensure the JSON is correctly formatted and conforms to the FHIR resource schema.
- Resource Not Found: If the specified resource ID does not exist on the server, the FHIR server may return a 404 error. Verify the resource ID and resource type are correct.
- Authentication Errors: Incorrect or missing authentication credentials will cause authorization failures. Confirm that the proper authentication method and credentials are configured.
- SSL Certificate Issues: If connecting to a server with an invalid or self-signed SSL certificate, enable "Ignore SSL Issues" to bypass certificate validation.
- Multiple Results Error: Although more relevant to search operations, if enabled, the node can throw an error when multiple results are returned unexpectedly.
- Unsupported Operation: If an unsupported operation is selected, the node will throw an error specifying the operation is not supported.