Skip to main content

Care Plans

Care Plans are essential tools in healthcare, representing protocols that patients should follow. They exist in two forms:

  1. Abstract: A general protocol applicable to any patient, represented in FHIR® as a PlanDefinition.

  2. Concrete: A specific protocol for an individual patient, where the PlanDefinition is instantiated into a CarePlan with a linked RequestGroup detailing the tasks and their statuses.

Think of a PlanDefinition as a training manual for staff, while a CarePlan/RequestGroup is like a checklist added to a patient's chart.

Key Resources

  • Tasks: Define all clinical work items to be completed.

  • Goals: Set measurable targets to achieve.

  • CarePlan: Organize a group of tasks for each patient.

  • PlanDefinition: Define a clinical protocol that can be implemented on a per-patient basis.

  • RequestGroup: Define complex relationships between tasks, including temporal tasks, recurring tasks, and mutually exclusive tasks.

Key Code Systems

  • LOINC: Used to define the target measure of a Goal resource.

Practical Applications

Care planning can range from very simple, such as a single prescription, to very complex, like a surgery with postoperative follow-up, evaluations, medications, and more. For basic use, reference care plans can be customized to meet specific needs.

  1. Simple Care Plans: These might include straightforward tasks like prescribing medication or scheduling follow-up appointments.

  2. Complex Care Plans: These involve multiple steps and resources, such as surgical procedures followed by rehabilitation, medication management, and regular evaluations.

Sample Care Plan Resources

  • PlanDefinition: On the iEHR app, you can find PlanDefinitions that can be converted into RequestGroups for specific patients using the $apply tab.

  • RequestGroup: This resource can be viewed and managed within the iEHR app, providing a checklist of tasks and their statuses.

Advanced Features

  1. PlanDefinition Builder: A tool available on Storybook that allows users to create and customize PlanDefinitions.

  2. RequestGroup Management: Sample RequestGroups can be found on Storybook, showcasing how to manage complex care plans.

For more detailed information, feel free to contact us .