The FHIR R4 Observation resource represents measurements, test results, assessments, and other discrete clinical findings. This includes vital signs, lab results, social history, and imaging interpretations. Observations are central to longitudinal patient records and are often imported from multiple external sources in Health Gorilla's network.
Use Cases
- View a patient’s vitals, lab results, or imaging reports
- Monitor trends in blood pressure, glucose, or cholesterol
- Retrieve structured result values by LOINC code
- Link observations to encounters or diagnostic reports
Base URLs
- Production: https://api.healthgorilla.com/fhir/R4/Observation
- Sandbox: https://sandbox.healthgorilla.com/fhir/R4/Observation
Authentication
All requests require OAuth 2.0 authentication using a Bearer Token. Unauthorized requests return 401 Unauthorized responses.
Required Scopes
observation.readfor GETobservation.writefor POST, PUT, DELETE
For more information, go to: OAuth 2.0 Authentication.
Supported Methods
| Method | Operation | Description |
|---|---|---|
GET | Read Observation | Retrieves a specific Observation record by its FHIR ID. |
GET | Search Observation | Searches for Observation records for a specified patient. |
POST | Create Observation | Submits a new Observation record to the Health Gorilla FHIR server. |
PUT | Update Observation | Updates an existing Observation record by full resource replacement. |
DELETE | Delete Observation | Removes an existing Observation record from the system by full deletion. |
Frequently Used Search Parameters
| Parameter | Description | FHIR Value Set / Example Values | FHIR Data Type | Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
patient | Filters by patient ID | Patient/{id} | Reference | Yes |
category | Filters by category of observation | ObservationCategory (vital-signs, laboratory) | token | No |
code | Filters by the type of observation | LOINC codes (718-7, 55284-4, 39156-5) | token | No |
status | Filters by status of the observation | ObservationStatus (final, amended) | token | No |
date | Filters by effective or issued date | ge2023-01-01, le2023-12-31 | date | No |
encounter | Filters by associated encounter | Encounter/{id} | Reference | No |
performer | Filters by the individual or organization who reported | Practitioner/{id}, Organization/{id} | Reference | No |
identifier | Filters by a unique observation identifier | 12345-abc | token | No |
Commonly Returned Resource Attributes
| Attribute | Description | Example Values | FHIR Data Type | Required |
|---|---|---|---|---|
id | Unique FHIR ID for the observation | obs-456789 | id | Yes |
status | Status of the observation | final | code | Yes |
category | Broad category of observation | vital-signs | CodeableConcept[] | No |
code | Specific observation code | 55284-4 — Blood pressure panel | CodeableConcept | Yes |
subject | The patient associated with the observation | Patient/{id} | Reference(Patient) | Yes |
effectiveDateTime | When the observation was made | 2024-03-01T08:00:00-07:00 | dateTime | Yes |
issued | Time when the observation was released | 2024-03-01T08:30:00-07:00 | instant | No |
valueQuantity | Measurement result (numerical) | 120 mmHg | Quantity | No |
valueCodeableConcept | Measurement result (coded text) | Negative, Reactive | CodeableConcept | No |
dataAbsentReason | Why a value is missing | not-performed, unknown | CodeableConcept | No |
referenceRange | Normal range associated with the result | 80–120 mmHg | Observation.ReferenceRange[] | No |
interpretation | Clinical interpretation of the result | high, normal, low | CodeableConcept[] | No |
performer | Who performed or reported the observation | Practitioner/{id}, Organization/{id} | Reference[] | No |
note | Comments or annotations | "Patient was fasting" | Annotation[] | No |
Webhooks
Clients can subscribe to webhook notifications when new observations are added to a patient’s chart (e.g., lab results, vitals). Webhooks may also trigger on updates to existing records depending on client configuration.
For more information, go to: Webhooks & Polling.
Error Handling
All Observation operations follow standard Health Gorilla error handling, including use of FHIR OperationOutcome for structured responses.
For more information, go to: Error Handling.