Structured Data Capture (SDC) for FHIR: Smarter Forms, Smarter Data

At this year’s Firely DevDays in Amsterdam, one of the standout discussions was around Structured Data Capture (SDC)—an underutilized gem in the FHIR ecosystem. For those of us designing modern healthcare platforms, SDC is more than just a spec—it’s a blueprint for turning user-driven forms into clean, interoperable FHIR resources. I’m looking into opportunities to use this fort managing reference data within my area.

What Is SDC for FHIR?

Structured Data Capture (SDC) is a FHIR implementation guide that defines how to:

• Build dynamic, reusable Questionnaires
• Capture answers in a structured, codified way (QuestionnaireResponse)
• Automatically convert form data into core FHIR resources (like Patient, Observation, or Condition)

It’s centered on the Questionnaire and QuestionnaireResponse resource pair, enriched with extensions to support:

• Conditional logic
• Calculated expressions
• Terminology bindings
• Pre-population using FHIR queries

Why It Matters

In many healthcare environments, we’re still stuck with:

• Manual data entry (often duplicated across systems)
• Rigid UIs that can’t adapt to clinical or operational context
• Custom form logic that isn’t portable or standards-based

With SDC, you get:

Dynamic forms with fhirpath support and more Standardized structure aligned with FHIR
Reusability across projects and workflows
Interoperability—QuestionnaireResponse can be transformed into canonical FHIR resources

Real-World Uses from DevDays

Some highlights from Firely DevDays included:

• Reference data forms: Using SDC to manage PractitionerRole and Organization records with real-time validation
• SMART-on-FHIR patient intake: Dynamic questionnaires populated with contextual patient data
• FHIR-native submission pipelines: Using QuestionnaireResponse to generate Observation and Condition resources, automatically

Why You Should Explore It

If you’re building form-driven UIs for:

• Admin panels (e.g., managing reference data)
• Service-user onboarding or surveys
• Clinical documentation workflows

Then SDC gives you:

• A consistent, standards-based model
• Easier integration with your FHIR backend (like Google Healthcare API)
• Declarative, reusable form logic

In short, SDC helps you turn forms into FHIR-native apps.

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Want to Dive Deeper?

• SDC Implementation Guide
• FHIRPath Lab
• LHC-Forms by NLM

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Working on healthcare forms in the NHS or cloud-native reference data tooling? I’d love to hear what you’re doing with SDC. Get in touch or drop a comment below.