FHIR Implementation Guide for ABDM
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This page is part of the FHIR Implementation Guide for ABDM (v6.0.0: Release) based on FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) R4. This is the current published version. For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions

Resource Profile: Patient - Detailed Descriptions

Draft as of 2020-08-17

Definitions for the Patient resource profile.

Guidance on how to interpret the contents of this table can be found here

0. Patient
2. Patient.identifier
NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Control1..?
Must Supporttrue
LOINC Code
4. Patient.identifier.type
Control1..?
BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from Identifier Type Code
(extensible to https://nrces.in/ndhm/fhir/r4/ValueSet/ndhm-identifier-type-code
Must Supporttrue
6. Patient.identifier.type.coding
Must Supporttrue
8. Patient.identifier.type.coding.system
Control1..?
10. Patient.identifier.type.coding.code
Control1..?
12. Patient.identifier.type.coding.display
Control1..?
14. Patient.identifier.type.text
Must Supporttrue
16. Patient.identifier.system
Must Supporttrue
18. Patient.identifier.value
Control1..?
Must Supporttrue
20. Patient.identifier.assigner
TypeReference(Organization)
22. Patient.identifier.assigner.display
Must Supporttrue
24. Patient.name
Must Supporttrue
LOINC Code
26. Patient.name.text
Control1..?
28. Patient.telecom
Must Supporttrue
LOINC Code
30. Patient.telecom.system
Must Supporttrue
32. Patient.telecom.value
Control1..?
34. Patient.gender
Must Supporttrue
LOINC Code
36. Patient.birthDate
Must Supporttrue
LOINC Code
38. Patient.address
Must Supporttrue
LOINC Code
40. Patient.contact
42. Patient.contact.organization
TypeReference(Organization)
LOINC Code
44. Patient.generalPractitioner
TypeReference(Organization, Practitioner, PractitionerRole)
LOINC Code
46. Patient.managingOrganization
TypeReference(Organization)
LOINC Code
48. Patient.link
50. Patient.link.other
TypeReference(RelatedPerson, Patient)
LOINC Code

Guidance on how to interpret the contents of this table can be found here

0. Patient
Definition

Demographics and other administrative information about an individual or animal receiving care or other health-related services.

ShortInformation about an individual or animal receiving health care services
Control0..*
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamesSubjectOfCare Client Resident
Invariantsdom-2: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT contain nested Resources (contained.contained.empty())
dom-3: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL be referred to from elsewhere in the resource or SHALL refer to the containing resource (contained.where((('#'+id in (%resource.descendants().reference | %resource.descendants().as(canonical) | %resource.descendants().as(uri) | %resource.descendants().as(url))) or descendants().where(reference = '#').exists() or descendants().where(as(canonical) = '#').exists() or descendants().where(as(canonical) = '#').exists()).not()).trace('unmatched', id).empty())
dom-4: If a resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT have a meta.versionId or a meta.lastUpdated (contained.meta.versionId.empty() and contained.meta.lastUpdated.empty())
dom-5: If a resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT have a security label (contained.meta.security.empty())
dom-6: A resource should have narrative for robust management (text.`div`.exists())
2. Patient.implicitRules
Definition

A reference to a set of rules that were followed when the resource was constructed, and which must be understood when processing the content. Often, this is a reference to an implementation guide that defines the special rules along with other profiles etc.

ShortA set of rules under which this content was created
Comments

Asserting this rule set restricts the content to be only understood by a limited set of trading partners. This inherently limits the usefulness of the data in the long term. However, the existing health eco-system is highly fractured, and not yet ready to define, collect, and exchange data in a generally computable sense. Wherever possible, implementers and/or specification writers should avoid using this element. Often, when used, the URL is a reference to an implementation guide that defines these special rules as part of it's narrative along with other profiles, value sets, etc.

Control0..1
Typeuri
Is Modifiertrue because This element is labeled as a modifier because the implicit rules may provide additional knowledge about the resource that modifies it's meaning or interpretation
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
4. Patient.modifierExtension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource and that modifies the understanding of the element that contains it and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer is allowed to define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions.

Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).

ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the resource that contains them
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
6. Patient.identifier
Definition

An identifier for this patient.

ShortAn identifier for this patient
NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Control10..*
TypeIdentifier
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Patients are almost always assigned specific numerical identifiers.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
8. Patient.identifier.use
Definition

The purpose of this identifier.

Shortusual | official | temp | secondary | old (If known)
Comments

Applications can assume that an identifier is permanent unless it explicitly says that it is temporary.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from IdentifierUsehttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/identifier-use|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/identifier-use|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary id for a permanent one.
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows the appropriate identifier for a particular context of use to be selected from among a set of identifiers.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
10. Patient.identifier.type
Definition

A coded type for the identifier that can be used to determine which identifier to use for a specific purpose.

ShortDescription of identifier
Comments

This element deals only with general categories of identifiers. It SHOULD not be used for codes that correspond 1..1 with the Identifier.system. Some identifiers may fall into multiple categories due to common usage. Where the system is known, a type is unnecessary because the type is always part of the system definition. However systems often need to handle identifiers where the system is not known. There is not a 1:1 relationship between type and system, since many different systems have the same type.

Control10..1
BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from Identifier Type Codehttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/identifier-type
(extensible to https://nrces.in/ndhm/fhir/r4/ValueSet/ndhm-identifier-type-code
TypeCodeableConcept
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows users to make use of identifiers when the identifier system is not known.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
12. Patient.identifier.type.coding
Definition

A reference to a code defined by a terminology system.

ShortCode defined by a terminology system
Comments

Codes may be defined very casually in enumerations, or code lists, up to very formal definitions such as SNOMED CT - see the HL7 v3 Core Principles for more information. Ordering of codings is undefined and SHALL NOT be used to infer meaning. Generally, at most only one of the coding values will be labeled as UserSelected = true.

Control0..*
TypeCoding
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows for alternative encodings within a code system, and translations to other code systems.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
14. Patient.identifier.type.coding.system
Definition

The identification of the code system that defines the meaning of the symbol in the code.

ShortIdentity of the terminology system
Comments

The URI may be an OID (urn:oid:...) or a UUID (urn:uuid:...). OIDs and UUIDs SHALL be references to the HL7 OID registry. Otherwise, the URI should come from HL7's list of FHIR defined special URIs or it should reference to some definition that establishes the system clearly and unambiguously.

Control10..1
Typeuri
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to be unambiguous about the source of the definition of the symbol.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
16. Patient.identifier.type.coding.code
Definition

A symbol in syntax defined by the system. The symbol may be a predefined code or an expression in a syntax defined by the coding system (e.g. post-coordination).

ShortSymbol in syntax defined by the system
Control10..1
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to refer to a particular code in the system.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
18. Patient.identifier.type.coding.display
Definition

A representation of the meaning of the code in the system, following the rules of the system.

ShortRepresentation defined by the system
Control10..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to be able to carry a human-readable meaning of the code for readers that do not know the system.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
20. Patient.identifier.type.text
Definition

A human language representation of the concept as seen/selected/uttered by the user who entered the data and/or which represents the intended meaning of the user.

ShortPlain text representation of the concept
Comments

Very often the text is the same as a displayName of one of the codings.

Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

The codes from the terminologies do not always capture the correct meaning with all the nuances of the human using them, or sometimes there is no appropriate code at all. In these cases, the text is used to capture the full meaning of the source.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
22. Patient.identifier.system
Definition

Establishes the namespace for the value - that is, a URL that describes a set values that are unique.

ShortThe namespace for the identifier value
Comments

Identifier.system is always case sensitive.

Control0..1
Typeuri
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

There are many sets of identifiers. To perform matching of two identifiers, we need to know what set we're dealing with. The system identifies a particular set of unique identifiers.

Example<br/><b>General</b>:http://www.acme.com/identifiers/patient
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
24. Patient.identifier.value
Definition

The portion of the identifier typically relevant to the user and which is unique within the context of the system.

ShortThe value that is unique
Comments

If the value is a full URI, then the system SHALL be urn:ietf:rfc:3986. The value's primary purpose is computational mapping. As a result, it may be normalized for comparison purposes (e.g. removing non-significant whitespace, dashes, etc.) A value formatted for human display can be conveyed using the Rendered Value extension. Identifier.value is to be treated as case sensitive unless knowledge of the Identifier.system allows the processer to be confident that non-case-sensitive processing is safe.

Control10..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Example<br/><b>General</b>:123456
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
26. Patient.identifier.assigner
Definition

Organization that issued/manages the identifier.

ShortOrganization that issued id (may be just text)
Comments

The Identifier.assigner may omit the .reference element and only contain a .display element reflecting the name or other textual information about the assigning organization.

Control0..1
TypeReference(Organization, Organization)
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
28. Patient.identifier.assigner.display
Definition

Plain text narrative that identifies the resource in addition to the resource reference.

ShortText alternative for the resource
Comments

This is generally not the same as the Resource.text of the referenced resource. The purpose is to identify what's being referenced, not to fully describe it.

Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
30. Patient.active
Definition

Whether this patient record is in active use. Many systems use this property to mark as non-current patients, such as those that have not been seen for a period of time based on an organization's business rules.

It is often used to filter patient lists to exclude inactive patients

Deceased patients may also be marked as inactive for the same reasons, but may be active for some time after death.

ShortWhether this patient's record is in active use
Comments

If a record is inactive, and linked to an active record, then future patient/record updates should occur on the other patient.

Control0..1
Typeboolean
Is Modifiertrue because This element is labelled as a modifier because it is a status element that can indicate that a record should not be treated as valid
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to be able to mark a patient record as not to be used because it was created in error.

Meaning if MissingThis resource is generally assumed to be active if no value is provided for the active element
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
32. Patient.name
Definition

A name associated with the individual.

ShortA name associated with the patient
Comments

A patient may have multiple names with different uses or applicable periods. For animals, the name is a "HumanName" in the sense that is assigned and used by humans and has the same patterns.

Control0..*
TypeHumanName
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to be able to track the patient by multiple names. Examples are your official name and a partner name.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
34. Patient.name.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for this name.

Shortusual | official | temp | nickname | anonymous | old | maiden
Comments

Applications can assume that a name is current unless it explicitly says that it is temporary or old.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUsehttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/name-use|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/name-use|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary or old name etc.for a current/permanent one
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows the appropriate name for a particular context of use to be selected from among a set of names.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
36. Patient.name.text
Definition

Specifies the entire name as it should be displayed e.g. on an application UI. This may be provided instead of or as well as the specific parts.

ShortText representation of the full name
Comments

Can provide both a text representation and parts. Applications updating a name SHALL ensure that when both text and parts are present, no content is included in the text that isn't found in a part.

Control10..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

A renderable, unencoded form.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
38. Patient.telecom
Definition

A contact detail (e.g. a telephone number or an email address) by which the individual may be contacted.

ShortA contact detail for the individual
Comments

A Patient may have multiple ways to be contacted with different uses or applicable periods. May need to have options for contacting the person urgently and also to help with identification. The address might not go directly to the individual, but may reach another party that is able to proxy for the patient (i.e. home phone, or pet owner's phone).

Control0..*
TypeContactPoint
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

People have (primary) ways to contact them in some way such as phone, email.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
40. Patient.telecom.system
Definition

Telecommunications form for contact point - what communications system is required to make use of the contact.

Shortphone | fax | email | pager | url | sms | other
Control0..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: cpt-2
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointSystemhttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/contact-point-system|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/contact-point-system|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
42. Patient.telecom.value
Definition

The actual contact point details, in a form that is meaningful to the designated communication system (i.e. phone number or email address).

ShortThe actual contact point details
Comments

Additional text data such as phone extension numbers, or notes about use of the contact are sometimes included in the value.

Control10..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to support legacy numbers that are not in a tightly controlled format.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
44. Patient.telecom.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for the contact point.

Shorthome | work | temp | old | mobile - purpose of this contact point
Comments

Applications can assume that a contact is current unless it explicitly says that it is temporary or old.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointUsehttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/contact-point-use|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/contact-point-use|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary or old contact etc.for a current/permanent one
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to track the way a person uses this contact, so a user can choose which is appropriate for their purpose.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
46. Patient.gender
Definition

Administrative Gender - the gender that the patient is considered to have for administration and record keeping purposes.

Shortmale | female | other | unknown
Comments

The gender might not match the biological sex as determined by genetics or the individual's preferred identification. Note that for both humans and particularly animals, there are other legitimate possibilities than male and female, though the vast majority of systems and contexts only support male and female. Systems providing decision support or enforcing business rules should ideally do this on the basis of Observations dealing with the specific sex or gender aspect of interest (anatomical, chromosomal, social, etc.) However, because these observations are infrequently recorded, defaulting to the administrative gender is common practice. Where such defaulting occurs, rule enforcement should allow for the variation between administrative and biological, chromosomal and other gender aspects. For example, an alert about a hysterectomy on a male should be handled as a warning or overridable error, not a "hard" error. See the Patient Gender and Sex section for additional information about communicating patient gender and sex.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AdministrativeGenderhttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/administrative-gender|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/administrative-gender|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Needed for identification of the individual, in combination with (at least) name and birth date.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
48. Patient.birthDate
Definition

The date of birth for the individual.

ShortThe date of birth for the individual
Comments

At least an estimated year should be provided as a guess if the real DOB is unknown There is a standard extension "patient-birthTime" available that should be used where Time is required (such as in maternity/infant care systems).

Control0..1
Typedate
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Age of the individual drives many clinical processes.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
LOINC Code21112-8
50. Patient.deceased[x]
Definition

Indicates if the individual is deceased or not.

ShortIndicates if the individual is deceased or not
Comments

If there's no value in the instance, it means there is no statement on whether or not the individual is deceased. Most systems will interpret the absence of a value as a sign of the person being alive.

Control0..1
TypeChoice of: boolean, dateTime
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Is Modifiertrue because This element is labeled as a modifier because once a patient is marked as deceased, the actions that are appropriate to perform on the patient may be significantly different.
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

The fact that a patient is deceased influences the clinical process. Also, in human communication and relation management it is necessary to know whether the person is alive.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
52. Patient.address
Definition

An address for the individual.

ShortAn address for the individual
Comments

Patient may have multiple addresses with different uses or applicable periods.

Control0..*
TypeAddress
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

May need to keep track of patient addresses for contacting, billing or reporting requirements and also to help with identification.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
54. Patient.generalPractitioner
Definition

Patient's nominated care provider.

ShortPatient's nominated primary care provider
Comments

This may be the primary care provider (in a GP context), or it may be a patient nominated care manager in a community/disability setting, or even organization that will provide people to perform the care provider roles. It is not to be used to record Care Teams, these should be in a CareTeam resource that may be linked to the CarePlan or EpisodeOfCare resources. Multiple GPs may be recorded against the patient for various reasons, such as a student that has his home GP listed along with the GP at university during the school semesters, or a "fly-in/fly-out" worker that has the onsite GP also included with his home GP to remain aware of medical issues.

Jurisdictions may decide that they can profile this down to 1 if desired, or 1 per type.

Control0..*
TypeReference(Organization, Practitioner, PractitionerRole, Organization, Practitioner, PractitionerRole)
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamescareProvider
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
56. Patient.managingOrganization
Definition

Organization that is the custodian of the patient record.

ShortOrganization that is the custodian of the patient record
Comments

There is only one managing organization for a specific patient record. Other organizations will have their own Patient record, and may use the Link property to join the records together (or a Person resource which can include confidence ratings for the association).

Control0..1
TypeReference(Organization, Organization)
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to know who recognizes this patient record, manages and updates it.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
58. Patient.link
Definition

Link to another patient resource that concerns the same actual patient.

ShortLink to another patient resource that concerns the same actual person
Comments

There is no assumption that linked patient records have mutual links.

Control0..*
TypeBackboneElement
Is Modifiertrue because This element is labeled as a modifier because it might not be the main Patient resource, and the referenced patient should be used instead of this Patient record. This is when the link.type value is 'replaced-by'
Summarytrue
Requirements

There are multiple use cases:

  • Duplicate patient records due to the clerical errors associated with the difficulties of identifying humans consistently, and
  • Distribution of patient information across multiple servers.
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
60. Patient.link.modifierExtension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions.

Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).

ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summarytrue
Requirements

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Alternate Namesextensions, user content, modifiers
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
62. Patient.link.other
Definition

The other patient resource that the link refers to.

ShortThe other patient or related person resource that the link refers to
Comments

Referencing a RelatedPerson here removes the need to use a Person record to associate a Patient and RelatedPerson as the same individual.

Control1..1
TypeReference(RelatedPerson, Patient, Patient)
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
64. Patient.link.type
Definition

The type of link between this patient resource and another patient resource.

Shortreplaced-by | replaces | refer | seealso
Control1..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from LinkTypehttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/link-type|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/link-type|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))

Guidance on how to interpret the contents of this table can be found here

0. Patient
Definition

Demographics and other administrative information about an individual or animal receiving care or other health-related services.

ShortInformation about an individual or animal receiving health care services
Control0..*
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamesSubjectOfCare Client Resident
Invariantsdom-2: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT contain nested Resources (contained.contained.empty())
dom-3: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL be referred to from elsewhere in the resource or SHALL refer to the containing resource (contained.where((('#'+id in (%resource.descendants().reference | %resource.descendants().as(canonical) | %resource.descendants().as(uri) | %resource.descendants().as(url))) or descendants().where(reference = '#').exists() or descendants().where(as(canonical) = '#').exists() or descendants().where(as(canonical) = '#').exists()).not()).trace('unmatched', id).empty())
dom-4: If a resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT have a meta.versionId or a meta.lastUpdated (contained.meta.versionId.empty() and contained.meta.lastUpdated.empty())
dom-5: If a resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT have a security label (contained.meta.security.empty())
dom-6: A resource should have narrative for robust management (text.`div`.exists())
2. Patient.id
Definition

The logical id of the resource, as used in the URL for the resource. Once assigned, this value never changes.

ShortLogical id of this artifact
Comments

The only time that a resource does not have an id is when it is being submitted to the server using a create operation.

Control0..1
Typeid
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
4. Patient.meta
Definition

The metadata about the resource. This is content that is maintained by the infrastructure. Changes to the content might not always be associated with version changes to the resource.

ShortMetadata about the resource
Control0..1
TypeMeta
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
6. Patient.implicitRules
Definition

A reference to a set of rules that were followed when the resource was constructed, and which must be understood when processing the content. Often, this is a reference to an implementation guide that defines the special rules along with other profiles etc.

ShortA set of rules under which this content was created
Comments

Asserting this rule set restricts the content to be only understood by a limited set of trading partners. This inherently limits the usefulness of the data in the long term. However, the existing health eco-system is highly fractured, and not yet ready to define, collect, and exchange data in a generally computable sense. Wherever possible, implementers and/or specification writers should avoid using this element. Often, when used, the URL is a reference to an implementation guide that defines these special rules as part of it's narrative along with other profiles, value sets, etc.

Control0..1
Typeuri
Is Modifiertrue because This element is labeled as a modifier because the implicit rules may provide additional knowledge about the resource that modifies it's meaning or interpretation
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
8. Patient.language
Definition

The base language in which the resource is written.

ShortLanguage of the resource content
Comments

Language is provided to support indexing and accessibility (typically, services such as text to speech use the language tag). The html language tag in the narrative applies to the narrative. The language tag on the resource may be used to specify the language of other presentations generated from the data in the resource. Not all the content has to be in the base language. The Resource.language should not be assumed to apply to the narrative automatically. If a language is specified, it should it also be specified on the div element in the html (see rules in HTML5 for information about the relationship between xml:lang and the html lang attribute).

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHOULD be taken from CommonLanguages
(preferred to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/languages
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summaryfalse
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
10. Patient.text
Definition

A human-readable narrative that contains a summary of the resource and can be used to represent the content of the resource to a human. The narrative need not encode all the structured data, but is required to contain sufficient detail to make it "clinically safe" for a human to just read the narrative. Resource definitions may define what content should be represented in the narrative to ensure clinical safety.

ShortText summary of the resource, for human interpretation
Comments

Contained resources do not have narrative. Resources that are not contained SHOULD have a narrative. In some cases, a resource may only have text with little or no additional discrete data (as long as all minOccurs=1 elements are satisfied). This may be necessary for data from legacy systems where information is captured as a "text blob" or where text is additionally entered raw or narrated and encoded information is added later.

Control0..1
TypeNarrative
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesnarrative, html, xhtml, display
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
12. Patient.contained
Definition

These resources do not have an independent existence apart from the resource that contains them - they cannot be identified independently, and nor can they have their own independent transaction scope.

ShortContained, inline Resources
Comments

This should never be done when the content can be identified properly, as once identification is lost, it is extremely difficult (and context dependent) to restore it again. Contained resources may have profiles and tags In their meta elements, but SHALL NOT have security labels.

Control0..*
TypeResource
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesinline resources, anonymous resources, contained resources
14. Patient.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
16. Patient.modifierExtension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource and that modifies the understanding of the element that contains it and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer is allowed to define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions.

Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).

ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the resource that contains them
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
18. Patient.identifier
Definition

An identifier for this patient.

ShortAn identifier for this patient
NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Control1..*
TypeIdentifier
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Patients are almost always assigned specific numerical identifiers.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
20. Patient.identifier.id
Definition

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

ShortUnique id for inter-element referencing
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
XML FormatIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
22. Patient.identifier.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.identifier.extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
24. Patient.identifier.use
Definition

The purpose of this identifier.

Shortusual | official | temp | secondary | old (If known)
Comments

Applications can assume that an identifier is permanent unless it explicitly says that it is temporary.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from IdentifierUse
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/identifier-use|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary id for a permanent one.
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows the appropriate identifier for a particular context of use to be selected from among a set of identifiers.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
26. Patient.identifier.type
Definition

A coded type for the identifier that can be used to determine which identifier to use for a specific purpose.

ShortDescription of identifier
Comments

This element deals only with general categories of identifiers. It SHOULD not be used for codes that correspond 1..1 with the Identifier.system. Some identifiers may fall into multiple categories due to common usage. Where the system is known, a type is unnecessary because the type is always part of the system definition. However systems often need to handle identifiers where the system is not known. There is not a 1:1 relationship between type and system, since many different systems have the same type.

Control1..1
BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from Identifier Type Code
(extensible to https://nrces.in/ndhm/fhir/r4/ValueSet/ndhm-identifier-type-code
TypeCodeableConcept
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows users to make use of identifiers when the identifier system is not known.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
28. Patient.identifier.type.id
Definition

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

ShortUnique id for inter-element referencing
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
XML FormatIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
30. Patient.identifier.type.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.identifier.type.extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
32. Patient.identifier.type.coding
Definition

A reference to a code defined by a terminology system.

ShortCode defined by a terminology system
Comments

Codes may be defined very casually in enumerations, or code lists, up to very formal definitions such as SNOMED CT - see the HL7 v3 Core Principles for more information. Ordering of codings is undefined and SHALL NOT be used to infer meaning. Generally, at most only one of the coding values will be labeled as UserSelected = true.

Control0..*
TypeCoding
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows for alternative encodings within a code system, and translations to other code systems.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
34. Patient.identifier.type.coding.id
Definition

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

ShortUnique id for inter-element referencing
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
XML FormatIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
36. Patient.identifier.type.coding.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.identifier.type.coding.extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
38. Patient.identifier.type.coding.system
Definition

The identification of the code system that defines the meaning of the symbol in the code.

ShortIdentity of the terminology system
Comments

The URI may be an OID (urn:oid:...) or a UUID (urn:uuid:...). OIDs and UUIDs SHALL be references to the HL7 OID registry. Otherwise, the URI should come from HL7's list of FHIR defined special URIs or it should reference to some definition that establishes the system clearly and unambiguously.

Control1..1
Typeuri
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to be unambiguous about the source of the definition of the symbol.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
40. Patient.identifier.type.coding.version
Definition

The version of the code system which was used when choosing this code. Note that a well-maintained code system does not need the version reported, because the meaning of codes is consistent across versions. However this cannot consistently be assured, and when the meaning is not guaranteed to be consistent, the version SHOULD be exchanged.

ShortVersion of the system - if relevant
Comments

Where the terminology does not clearly define what string should be used to identify code system versions, the recommendation is to use the date (expressed in FHIR date format) on which that version was officially published as the version date.

NoteThis is a business versionId, not a resource version id (see discussion)
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
42. Patient.identifier.type.coding.code
Definition

A symbol in syntax defined by the system. The symbol may be a predefined code or an expression in a syntax defined by the coding system (e.g. post-coordination).

ShortSymbol in syntax defined by the system
Control1..1
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to refer to a particular code in the system.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
44. Patient.identifier.type.coding.display
Definition

A representation of the meaning of the code in the system, following the rules of the system.

ShortRepresentation defined by the system
Control1..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to be able to carry a human-readable meaning of the code for readers that do not know the system.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
46. Patient.identifier.type.coding.userSelected
Definition

Indicates that this coding was chosen by a user directly - e.g. off a pick list of available items (codes or displays).

ShortIf this coding was chosen directly by the user
Comments

Amongst a set of alternatives, a directly chosen code is the most appropriate starting point for new translations. There is some ambiguity about what exactly 'directly chosen' implies, and trading partner agreement may be needed to clarify the use of this element and its consequences more completely.

Control0..1
Typeboolean
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

This has been identified as a clinical safety criterium - that this exact system/code pair was chosen explicitly, rather than inferred by the system based on some rules or language processing.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
48. Patient.identifier.type.text
Definition

A human language representation of the concept as seen/selected/uttered by the user who entered the data and/or which represents the intended meaning of the user.

ShortPlain text representation of the concept
Comments

Very often the text is the same as a displayName of one of the codings.

Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

The codes from the terminologies do not always capture the correct meaning with all the nuances of the human using them, or sometimes there is no appropriate code at all. In these cases, the text is used to capture the full meaning of the source.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
50. Patient.identifier.system
Definition

Establishes the namespace for the value - that is, a URL that describes a set values that are unique.

ShortThe namespace for the identifier value
Comments

Identifier.system is always case sensitive.

Control0..1
Typeuri
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

There are many sets of identifiers. To perform matching of two identifiers, we need to know what set we're dealing with. The system identifies a particular set of unique identifiers.

Example<br/><b>General</b>:http://www.acme.com/identifiers/patient
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
52. Patient.identifier.value
Definition

The portion of the identifier typically relevant to the user and which is unique within the context of the system.

ShortThe value that is unique
Comments

If the value is a full URI, then the system SHALL be urn:ietf:rfc:3986. The value's primary purpose is computational mapping. As a result, it may be normalized for comparison purposes (e.g. removing non-significant whitespace, dashes, etc.) A value formatted for human display can be conveyed using the Rendered Value extension. Identifier.value is to be treated as case sensitive unless knowledge of the Identifier.system allows the processer to be confident that non-case-sensitive processing is safe.

Control1..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Example<br/><b>General</b>:123456
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
54. Patient.identifier.period
Definition

Time period during which identifier is/was valid for use.

ShortTime period when id is/was valid for use
Control0..1
TypePeriod
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
56. Patient.identifier.assigner
Definition

Organization that issued/manages the identifier.

ShortOrganization that issued id (may be just text)
Comments

The Identifier.assigner may omit the .reference element and only contain a .display element reflecting the name or other textual information about the assigning organization.

Control0..1
TypeReference(Organization)
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
58. Patient.identifier.assigner.id
Definition

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

ShortUnique id for inter-element referencing
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
XML FormatIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
60. Patient.identifier.assigner.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.identifier.assigner.extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
62. Patient.identifier.assigner.reference
Definition

A reference to a location at which the other resource is found. The reference may be a relative reference, in which case it is relative to the service base URL, or an absolute URL that resolves to the location where the resource is found. The reference may be version specific or not. If the reference is not to a FHIR RESTful server, then it should be assumed to be version specific. Internal fragment references (start with '#') refer to contained resources.

ShortLiteral reference, Relative, internal or absolute URL
Comments

Using absolute URLs provides a stable scalable approach suitable for a cloud/web context, while using relative/logical references provides a flexible approach suitable for use when trading across closed eco-system boundaries. Absolute URLs do not need to point to a FHIR RESTful server, though this is the preferred approach. If the URL conforms to the structure "/[type]/[id]" then it should be assumed that the reference is to a FHIR RESTful server.

Control0..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: ref-1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
64. Patient.identifier.assigner.type
Definition

The expected type of the target of the reference. If both Reference.type and Reference.reference are populated and Reference.reference is a FHIR URL, both SHALL be consistent.

The type is the Canonical URL of Resource Definition that is the type this reference refers to. References are URLs that are relative to http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/ e.g. "Patient" is a reference to http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/Patient. Absolute URLs are only allowed for logical models (and can only be used in references in logical models, not resources).

ShortType the reference refers to (e.g. "Patient")
Comments

This element is used to indicate the type of the target of the reference. This may be used which ever of the other elements are populated (or not). In some cases, the type of the target may be determined by inspection of the reference (e.g. a RESTful URL) or by resolving the target of the reference; if both the type and a reference is provided, the reference SHALL resolve to a resource of the same type as that specified.

Control0..1
BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from ResourceType
(extensible to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/resource-types
Typeuri
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
66. Patient.identifier.assigner.identifier
Definition

An identifier for the target resource. This is used when there is no way to reference the other resource directly, either because the entity it represents is not available through a FHIR server, or because there is no way for the author of the resource to convert a known identifier to an actual location. There is no requirement that a Reference.identifier point to something that is actually exposed as a FHIR instance, but it SHALL point to a business concept that would be expected to be exposed as a FHIR instance, and that instance would need to be of a FHIR resource type allowed by the reference.

ShortLogical reference, when literal reference is not known
Comments

When an identifier is provided in place of a reference, any system processing the reference will only be able to resolve the identifier to a reference if it understands the business context in which the identifier is used. Sometimes this is global (e.g. a national identifier) but often it is not. For this reason, none of the useful mechanisms described for working with references (e.g. chaining, includes) are possible, nor should servers be expected to be able resolve the reference. Servers may accept an identifier based reference untouched, resolve it, and/or reject it - see CapabilityStatement.rest.resource.referencePolicy.

When both an identifier and a literal reference are provided, the literal reference is preferred. Applications processing the resource are allowed - but not required - to check that the identifier matches the literal reference

Applications converting a logical reference to a literal reference may choose to leave the logical reference present, or remove it.

Reference is intended to point to a structure that can potentially be expressed as a FHIR resource, though there is no need for it to exist as an actual FHIR resource instance - except in as much as an application wishes to actual find the target of the reference. The content referred to be the identifier must meet the logical constraints implied by any limitations on what resource types are permitted for the reference. For example, it would not be legitimate to send the identifier for a drug prescription if the type were Reference(Observation|DiagnosticReport). One of the use-cases for Reference.identifier is the situation where no FHIR representation exists (where the type is Reference (Any).

NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Control0..1
TypeIdentifier
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
68. Patient.identifier.assigner.display
Definition

Plain text narrative that identifies the resource in addition to the resource reference.

ShortText alternative for the resource
Comments

This is generally not the same as the Resource.text of the referenced resource. The purpose is to identify what's being referenced, not to fully describe it.

Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
70. Patient.active
Definition

Whether this patient record is in active use. Many systems use this property to mark as non-current patients, such as those that have not been seen for a period of time based on an organization's business rules.

It is often used to filter patient lists to exclude inactive patients

Deceased patients may also be marked as inactive for the same reasons, but may be active for some time after death.

ShortWhether this patient's record is in active use
Comments

If a record is inactive, and linked to an active record, then future patient/record updates should occur on the other patient.

Control0..1
Typeboolean
Is Modifiertrue because This element is labelled as a modifier because it is a status element that can indicate that a record should not be treated as valid
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to be able to mark a patient record as not to be used because it was created in error.

Meaning if MissingThis resource is generally assumed to be active if no value is provided for the active element
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
72. Patient.name
Definition

A name associated with the individual.

ShortA name associated with the patient
Comments

A patient may have multiple names with different uses or applicable periods. For animals, the name is a "HumanName" in the sense that is assigned and used by humans and has the same patterns.

Control0..*
TypeHumanName
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to be able to track the patient by multiple names. Examples are your official name and a partner name.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
74. Patient.name.id
Definition

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

ShortUnique id for inter-element referencing
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
XML FormatIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
76. Patient.name.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.name.extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
78. Patient.name.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for this name.

Shortusual | official | temp | nickname | anonymous | old | maiden
Comments

Applications can assume that a name is current unless it explicitly says that it is temporary or old.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUse
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/name-use|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary or old name etc.for a current/permanent one
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows the appropriate name for a particular context of use to be selected from among a set of names.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
80. Patient.name.text
Definition

Specifies the entire name as it should be displayed e.g. on an application UI. This may be provided instead of or as well as the specific parts.

ShortText representation of the full name
Comments

Can provide both a text representation and parts. Applications updating a name SHALL ensure that when both text and parts are present, no content is included in the text that isn't found in a part.

Control1..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

A renderable, unencoded form.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
82. Patient.name.family
Definition

The part of a name that links to the genealogy. In some cultures (e.g. Eritrea) the family name of a son is the first name of his father.

ShortFamily name (often called 'Surname')
Comments

Family Name may be decomposed into specific parts using extensions (de, nl, es related cultures).

Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Alternate Namessurname
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
84. Patient.name.given
Definition

Given name.

ShortGiven names (not always 'first'). Includes middle names
Comments

If only initials are recorded, they may be used in place of the full name parts. Initials may be separated into multiple given names but often aren't due to paractical limitations. This element is not called "first name" since given names do not always come first.

Control0..*
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Alternate Namesfirst name, middle name
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
86. Patient.name.prefix
Definition

Part of the name that is acquired as a title due to academic, legal, employment or nobility status, etc. and that appears at the start of the name.

ShortParts that come before the name
Control0..*
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
88. Patient.name.suffix
Definition

Part of the name that is acquired as a title due to academic, legal, employment or nobility status, etc. and that appears at the end of the name.

ShortParts that come after the name
Control0..*
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
90. Patient.name.period
Definition

Indicates the period of time when this name was valid for the named person.

ShortTime period when name was/is in use
Control0..1
TypePeriod
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows names to be placed in historical context.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
92. Patient.telecom
Definition

A contact detail (e.g. a telephone number or an email address) by which the individual may be contacted.

ShortA contact detail for the individual
Comments

A Patient may have multiple ways to be contacted with different uses or applicable periods. May need to have options for contacting the person urgently and also to help with identification. The address might not go directly to the individual, but may reach another party that is able to proxy for the patient (i.e. home phone, or pet owner's phone).

Control0..*
TypeContactPoint
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

People have (primary) ways to contact them in some way such as phone, email.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
94. Patient.telecom.id
Definition

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

ShortUnique id for inter-element referencing
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
XML FormatIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
96. Patient.telecom.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.telecom.extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
98. Patient.telecom.system
Definition

Telecommunications form for contact point - what communications system is required to make use of the contact.

Shortphone | fax | email | pager | url | sms | other
Control0..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: cpt-2
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointSystem
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/contact-point-system|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
100. Patient.telecom.value
Definition

The actual contact point details, in a form that is meaningful to the designated communication system (i.e. phone number or email address).

ShortThe actual contact point details
Comments

Additional text data such as phone extension numbers, or notes about use of the contact are sometimes included in the value.

Control1..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to support legacy numbers that are not in a tightly controlled format.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
102. Patient.telecom.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for the contact point.

Shorthome | work | temp | old | mobile - purpose of this contact point
Comments

Applications can assume that a contact is current unless it explicitly says that it is temporary or old.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointUse
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/contact-point-use|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary or old contact etc.for a current/permanent one
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to track the way a person uses this contact, so a user can choose which is appropriate for their purpose.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
104. Patient.telecom.rank
Definition

Specifies a preferred order in which to use a set of contacts. ContactPoints with lower rank values are more preferred than those with higher rank values.

ShortSpecify preferred order of use (1 = highest)
Comments

Note that rank does not necessarily follow the order in which the contacts are represented in the instance.

Control0..1
TypepositiveInt
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
106. Patient.telecom.period
Definition

Time period when the contact point was/is in use.

ShortTime period when the contact point was/is in use
Control0..1
TypePeriod
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
108. Patient.gender
Definition

Administrative Gender - the gender that the patient is considered to have for administration and record keeping purposes.

Shortmale | female | other | unknown
Comments

The gender might not match the biological sex as determined by genetics or the individual's preferred identification. Note that for both humans and particularly animals, there are other legitimate possibilities than male and female, though the vast majority of systems and contexts only support male and female. Systems providing decision support or enforcing business rules should ideally do this on the basis of Observations dealing with the specific sex or gender aspect of interest (anatomical, chromosomal, social, etc.) However, because these observations are infrequently recorded, defaulting to the administrative gender is common practice. Where such defaulting occurs, rule enforcement should allow for the variation between administrative and biological, chromosomal and other gender aspects. For example, an alert about a hysterectomy on a male should be handled as a warning or overridable error, not a "hard" error. See the Patient Gender and Sex section for additional information about communicating patient gender and sex.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AdministrativeGender
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/administrative-gender|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Needed for identification of the individual, in combination with (at least) name and birth date.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
110. Patient.birthDate
Definition

The date of birth for the individual.

ShortThe date of birth for the individual
Comments

At least an estimated year should be provided as a guess if the real DOB is unknown There is a standard extension "patient-birthTime" available that should be used where Time is required (such as in maternity/infant care systems).

Control0..1
Typedate
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Age of the individual drives many clinical processes.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
LOINC Code21112-8
112. Patient.deceased[x]
Definition

Indicates if the individual is deceased or not.

ShortIndicates if the individual is deceased or not
Comments

If there's no value in the instance, it means there is no statement on whether or not the individual is deceased. Most systems will interpret the absence of a value as a sign of the person being alive.

Control0..1
TypeChoice of: boolean, dateTime
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Is Modifiertrue because This element is labeled as a modifier because once a patient is marked as deceased, the actions that are appropriate to perform on the patient may be significantly different.
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

The fact that a patient is deceased influences the clinical process. Also, in human communication and relation management it is necessary to know whether the person is alive.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
114. Patient.address
Definition

An address for the individual.

ShortAn address for the individual
Comments

Patient may have multiple addresses with different uses or applicable periods.

Control0..*
TypeAddress
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

May need to keep track of patient addresses for contacting, billing or reporting requirements and also to help with identification.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
116. Patient.maritalStatus
Definition

This field contains a patient's most recent marital (civil) status.

ShortMarital (civil) status of a patient
Control0..1
BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from Marital Status Codes
(extensible to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/marital-status
TypeCodeableConcept
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Most, if not all systems capture it.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
118. Patient.multipleBirth[x]
Definition

Indicates whether the patient is part of a multiple (boolean) or indicates the actual birth order (integer).

ShortWhether patient is part of a multiple birth
Comments

Where the valueInteger is provided, the number is the birth number in the sequence. E.g. The middle birth in triplets would be valueInteger=2 and the third born would have valueInteger=3 If a boolean value was provided for this triplets example, then all 3 patient records would have valueBoolean=true (the ordering is not indicated).

Control0..1
TypeChoice of: boolean, integer
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summaryfalse
Requirements

For disambiguation of multiple-birth children, especially relevant where the care provider doesn't meet the patient, such as labs.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
120. Patient.photo
Definition

Image of the patient.

ShortImage of the patient
Comments

Guidelines:

  • Use id photos, not clinical photos.
  • Limit dimensions to thumbnail.
  • Keep byte count low to ease resource updates.
Control0..*
TypeAttachment
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Many EHR systems have the capability to capture an image of the patient. Fits with newer social media usage too.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
122. Patient.contact
Definition

A contact party (e.g. guardian, partner, friend) for the patient.

ShortA contact party (e.g. guardian, partner, friend) for the patient
Comments

Contact covers all kinds of contact parties: family members, business contacts, guardians, caregivers. Not applicable to register pedigree and family ties beyond use of having contact.

Control0..*
TypeBackboneElement
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Need to track people you can contact about the patient.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
pat-1: SHALL at least contain a contact's details or a reference to an organization (name.exists() or telecom.exists() or address.exists() or organization.exists())
124. Patient.contact.id
Definition

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

ShortUnique id for inter-element referencing
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
XML FormatIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
126. Patient.contact.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
128. Patient.contact.modifierExtension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions.

Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).

ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summarytrue
Requirements

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Alternate Namesextensions, user content, modifiers
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
130. Patient.contact.relationship
Definition

The nature of the relationship between the patient and the contact person.

ShortThe kind of relationship
Control0..*
BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from PatientContactRelationship
(extensible to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/patient-contactrelationship
TypeCodeableConcept
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Used to determine which contact person is the most relevant to approach, depending on circumstances.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
132. Patient.contact.name
Definition

A name associated with the contact person.

ShortA name associated with the contact person
Control0..1
TypeHumanName
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Contact persons need to be identified by name, but it is uncommon to need details about multiple other names for that contact person.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
134. Patient.contact.telecom
Definition

A contact detail for the person, e.g. a telephone number or an email address.

ShortA contact detail for the person
Comments

Contact may have multiple ways to be contacted with different uses or applicable periods. May need to have options for contacting the person urgently, and also to help with identification.

Control0..*
TypeContactPoint
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

People have (primary) ways to contact them in some way such as phone, email.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
136. Patient.contact.address
Definition

Address for the contact person.

ShortAddress for the contact person
Control0..1
TypeAddress
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Need to keep track where the contact person can be contacted per postal mail or visited.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
138. Patient.contact.gender
Definition

Administrative Gender - the gender that the contact person is considered to have for administration and record keeping purposes.

Shortmale | female | other | unknown
Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AdministrativeGender
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/administrative-gender|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Needed to address the person correctly.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
140. Patient.contact.organization
Definition

Organization on behalf of which the contact is acting or for which the contact is working.

ShortOrganization that is associated with the contact
Control0..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: pat-1
TypeReference(Organization)
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

For guardians or business related contacts, the organization is relevant.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
142. Patient.contact.period
Definition

The period during which this contact person or organization is valid to be contacted relating to this patient.

ShortThe period during which this contact person or organization is valid to be contacted relating to this patient
Control0..1
TypePeriod
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
144. Patient.communication
Definition

A language which may be used to communicate with the patient about his or her health.

ShortA language which may be used to communicate with the patient about his or her health
Comments

If no language is specified, this implies that the default local language is spoken. If you need to convey proficiency for multiple modes, then you need multiple Patient.Communication associations. For animals, language is not a relevant field, and should be absent from the instance. If the Patient does not speak the default local language, then the Interpreter Required Standard can be used to explicitly declare that an interpreter is required.

Control0..*
TypeBackboneElement
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

If a patient does not speak the local language, interpreters may be required, so languages spoken and proficiency are important things to keep track of both for patient and other persons of interest.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
146. Patient.communication.id
Definition

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

ShortUnique id for inter-element referencing
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
XML FormatIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
148. Patient.communication.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
150. Patient.communication.modifierExtension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions.

Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).

ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summarytrue
Requirements

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Alternate Namesextensions, user content, modifiers
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
152. Patient.communication.language
Definition

The ISO-639-1 alpha 2 code in lower case for the language, optionally followed by a hyphen and the ISO-3166-1 alpha 2 code for the region in upper case; e.g. "en" for English, or "en-US" for American English versus "en-EN" for England English.

ShortThe language which can be used to communicate with the patient about his or her health
Comments

The structure aa-BB with this exact casing is one the most widely used notations for locale. However not all systems actually code this but instead have it as free text. Hence CodeableConcept instead of code as the data type.

Control1..1
BindingThe codes SHOULD be taken from CommonLanguages
(preferred to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/languages
TypeCodeableConcept
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Most systems in multilingual countries will want to convey language. Not all systems actually need the regional dialect.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
154. Patient.communication.preferred
Definition

Indicates whether or not the patient prefers this language (over other languages he masters up a certain level).

ShortLanguage preference indicator
Comments

This language is specifically identified for communicating healthcare information.

Control0..1
Typeboolean
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summaryfalse
Requirements

People that master multiple languages up to certain level may prefer one or more, i.e. feel more confident in communicating in a particular language making other languages sort of a fall back method.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
156. Patient.generalPractitioner
Definition

Patient's nominated care provider.

ShortPatient's nominated primary care provider
Comments

This may be the primary care provider (in a GP context), or it may be a patient nominated care manager in a community/disability setting, or even organization that will provide people to perform the care provider roles. It is not to be used to record Care Teams, these should be in a CareTeam resource that may be linked to the CarePlan or EpisodeOfCare resources. Multiple GPs may be recorded against the patient for various reasons, such as a student that has his home GP listed along with the GP at university during the school semesters, or a "fly-in/fly-out" worker that has the onsite GP also included with his home GP to remain aware of medical issues.

Jurisdictions may decide that they can profile this down to 1 if desired, or 1 per type.

Control0..*
TypeReference(Organization, Practitioner, PractitionerRole)
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamescareProvider
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
158. Patient.managingOrganization
Definition

Organization that is the custodian of the patient record.

ShortOrganization that is the custodian of the patient record
Comments

There is only one managing organization for a specific patient record. Other organizations will have their own Patient record, and may use the Link property to join the records together (or a Person resource which can include confidence ratings for the association).

Control0..1
TypeReference(Organization)
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Requirements

Need to know who recognizes this patient record, manages and updates it.

Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
160. Patient.link
Definition

Link to another patient resource that concerns the same actual patient.

ShortLink to another patient resource that concerns the same actual person
Comments

There is no assumption that linked patient records have mutual links.

Control0..*
TypeBackboneElement
Is Modifiertrue because This element is labeled as a modifier because it might not be the main Patient resource, and the referenced patient should be used instead of this Patient record. This is when the link.type value is 'replaced-by'
Summarytrue
Requirements

There are multiple use cases:

  • Duplicate patient records due to the clerical errors associated with the difficulties of identifying humans consistently, and
  • Distribution of patient information across multiple servers.
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
162. Patient.link.id
Definition

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

ShortUnique id for inter-element referencing
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
XML FormatIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
164. Patient.link.extension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.

ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifierfalse
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
166. Patient.link.modifierExtension
Definition

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element and that modifies the understanding of the element in which it is contained and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions.

Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).

ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized
Comments

There can be no stigma associated with the use of extensions by any application, project, or standard - regardless of the institution or jurisdiction that uses or defines the extensions. The use of extensions is what allows the FHIR specification to retain a core level of simplicity for everyone.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summarytrue
Requirements

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Alternate Namesextensions, user content, modifiers
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
168. Patient.link.other
Definition

The other patient resource that the link refers to.

ShortThe other patient or related person resource that the link refers to
Comments

Referencing a RelatedPerson here removes the need to use a Person record to associate a Patient and RelatedPerson as the same individual.

Control1..1
TypeReference(RelatedPerson, Patient)
Is Modifierfalse
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
170. Patient.link.type
Definition

The type of link between this patient resource and another patient resource.

Shortreplaced-by | replaces | refer | seealso
Control1..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from LinkType
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/link-type|4.0.1
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))