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Contributing to Polaris FHIR

Welcome to the Polaris FHIR Implementation Guide contribution documentation. This section provides comprehensive standards, guidelines, and processes for contributing to the project.

The Quick Summary

  1. All FHIR work goes through pull requests - no exceptions
  2. Follow the standards - they exist for a reason
  3. Include examples - show, don't just tell
  4. Ask questions early - we're here to help
  5. Test your stuff - if it doesn't build, it doesn't ship

What We're Building

The Polaris FHIR Implementation Guide defines profiles for harmonizing clinical data across EMR systems in support of Alberta healthcare initiatives including CPAR (Canadian Primary care Assessment and Reporting) and CII (Clinical Information Integration).

Getting Started

Standards and Guidelines

Governance and Strategy

Prerequisites

Before contributing, ensure you have:

Development Environment

  • Node.js 18+
  • Java 11 (for FHIR IG Publisher)
  • Python 3.10+ (for MkDocs)
  • Git

Knowledge Requirements

  • FHIR R4 specification familiarity
  • FHIR Shorthand (FSH) basics
  • Understanding of Canadian healthcare standards (CA-Core+)

Access Requirements

  • GitHub account
  • Repository access (request from maintainers)

Setting Up Your Environment

# Clone the repository
git clone https://github.com/Well-Polaris/fhir-polaris-spec.git
cd fhir-polaris-spec

# Install dependencies
npm run setup

# Verify environment
npm run check-env

# Build the specification
npm run build

# Start development server
npm run server

Contribution Workflow

1. Before You Start

  • Review existing profiles and patterns
  • Check open issues and pull requests
  • Discuss major changes with maintainers
  • Ensure alignment with project roadmap

2. Development Process

  1. Create a Feature Branch 

    git checkout -b feature/your-feature-name

  2. Follow Standards

  3. Apply FSH Coding Standards for profiles
  4. Follow JSON Coding Standards for examples

  5. Maintain consistent patterns with existing code

  6. Test Your Changes 

    # Build and validate
npm run build

# Check for errors in output

  7. Document Your Work

  8. Update relevant documentation
  9. Include mapping documentation if applicable
  10. Add examples demonstrating new features

3. Submission Process

  1. Commit Your Changes (following conventional commit format)
  2. Push to GitHub
  3. Create Pull Request with comprehensive description

4. Review Process

  • All contributions undergo peer review
  • Feedback provided promptly
  • Iterate based on review comments
  • Approval required from maintainers

Getting Help

Resources

Support Channels

  • GitHub Issues: Bug reports and feature requests
  • Pull Request Discussions: Implementation questions
  • Email: Contact maintainers for access or major initiatives
  • Feedback: See Feedback for contact information

Governance

Maintainers

The Polaris FHIR IG is maintained by: - Alberta Health Services FHIR Team - Well Health Technologies

Decision Process

  • Technical decisions made by consensus
  • Alignment with provincial standards required
  • Clinical accuracy verified by domain experts

Release Cycle

  • Quarterly minor releases
  • Annual major version updates
  • Hotfixes as needed for critical issues

Next Steps

  1. Review the detailed standards: Browse the Standards section
  2. Explore existing implementations: Check input/fsh/resources/ and input/examples/
  3. Start contributing: Pick a "good first issue" or propose enhancements
  4. Join discussions: Participate in community conversations

Thank you for contributing to the Polaris FHIR Implementation Guide!