Health Level 7 (HL7) Standards Versions

Health Level 7 (HL7) is a set of international standards for the exchange, integration, sharing, and retrieval of electronic health information. There are several versions of HL7 standards that have been developed over the years, each with its own unique features and improvements. The main versions of HL7 standards are:

Version	Description
HL7 v2.x	This version is the most widely used and focuses on messaging and data exchange between healthcare systems. It uses a pipe "|" delimiter to separate fields and is text-based.
HL7 v3	This version is based on a Reference Information Model (RIM) and uses XML as the messaging format. It provides a more structured and standardized approach to data exchange.
HL7 FHIR	Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources (FHIR) is the latest version of HL7 standards. It is designed to be more lightweight, flexible, and easier to implement than previous versions. FHIR uses modern web technologies like RESTful APIs and JSON for data exchange.

Each version of HL7 standards has its own strengths and weaknesses, and the choice of version depends on the specific requirements of the healthcare organization. Courses on HL7 standards cover these different versions in detail, providing students with the knowledge and skills to work with electronic health information effectively.