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GET
/
{resourceType}
/
{id}
Read Resource
curl --request GET \
  --url http://localhost:8080/fhir/{resourceType}/{id} \
  --header 'Authorization: Bearer <token>'
{
  "resourceType": "Patient",
  "id": "123",
  "meta": {
    "versionId": "5",
    "lastUpdated": "2026-01-12T10:30:00.000Z"
  },
  "name": [
    {
      "use": "official",
      "family": "Doe",
      "given": ["John", "Michael"]
    }
  ],
  "gender": "male",
  "birthDate": "1990-01-01",
  "identifier": [
    {
      "system": "http://hospital.example/mrn",
      "value": "12345"
    }
  ],
  "telecom": [
    {
      "system": "phone",
      "value": "555-0100",
      "use": "home"
    }
  ]
}
Retrieves the current version of a specific resource by its logical ID.

​
Endpoint

GET /fhir/{resourceType}/{id}
​
resourceType
string
required
The FHIR resource type (e.g., Patient, Observation, Encounter)
​
id
string
required
The logical ID of the resource

​
Headers

​
Accept
string
Response format: application/fhir+json (default) or application/fhir+xml
​
If-None-Match
string
Conditional read. Only return resource if version differs from provided ETag.Example: W/"5" - Returns 304 Not Modified if current version is still “5”
​
If-Modified-Since
string
Conditional read. Only return resource if modified after this timestamp.Example: Mon, 12 Jan 2026 10:00:00 GMT

​
Response

​
200 OK

Resource found and returned.
​
id
string
required
The logical ID of the resource
​
meta.versionId
string
required
Current version number
​
meta.lastUpdated
string
required
ISO 8601 timestamp of last modification
{
  "resourceType": "Patient",
  "id": "123",
  "meta": {
    "versionId": "5",
    "lastUpdated": "2026-01-12T10:30:00.000Z"
  },
  "name": [
    {
      "use": "official",
      "family": "Doe",
      "given": ["John", "Michael"]
    }
  ],
  "gender": "male",
  "birthDate": "1990-01-01",
  "identifier": [
    {
      "system": "http://hospital.example/mrn",
      "value": "12345"
    }
  ],
  "telecom": [
    {
      "system": "phone",
      "value": "555-0100",
      "use": "home"
    }
  ]
}

​
304 Not Modified

Conditional read succeeded, resource hasn’t changed (when using If-None-Match or If-Modified-Since). 
No body returned

​
404 Not Found

Resource does not exist. 
{
  "resourceType": "OperationOutcome",
  "issue": [
    {
      "severity": "error",
      "code": "not-found",
      "diagnostics": "Resource Patient/123 not found"
    }
  ]
}

​
410 Gone

Resource was deleted (soft delete). 
{
  "resourceType": "OperationOutcome",
  "issue": [
    {
      "severity": "error",
      "code": "deleted",
      "diagnostics": "Resource Patient/123 was deleted"
    }
  ]
}
Accessing Deleted Resources: Use the history endpoint to read deleted resources: GET /fhir/Patient/123/_history/5

​
HEAD Request

Check if a resource exists without retrieving its content. 
HEAD /fhir/{resourceType}/{id}

Exists:

​
Examples

curl -H "Accept: application/fhir+json" \
  "https://your-server.com/fhir/Patient/123"

​
Notes

Case Sensitivity: Resource IDs are case-sensitive. Patient/abc and Patient/ABC are different resources.
Performance: Use If-None-Match to avoid transferring unchanged resources. Cache the ETag from previous reads and send it with subsequent requests.
Versioning: This endpoint always returns the current version. To read a specific historical version, use the versioned read endpoint: GET /fhir/Patient/123/_history/5

​
See Also

Versioned Read

Read a specific historical version

Search

Find resources by criteria

Update

Modify a resource

Resource History

View all versions of a resource

Authorizations

​
Authorization
string
header
required

Bearer token authentication

Headers

​
If-None-Match
string

For conditional reads (304 Not Modified)

​
If-Modified-Since
string<date-time>

For conditional reads (304 Not Modified)

Path Parameters

​
resourceType
string
required

The FHIR resource type (e.g., Patient, Observation, Encounter)

​
id
string
required

The logical ID of the resource

Response

Resource found

A FHIR resource. All resources have resourceType, id, and meta fields.

​
resourceType
string
required

The type of resource

​
id
string

Logical id of this artifact

​
meta
object

Metadata about a resource