Patsientide üldandmete teenus / Master Patient Index
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Patsientide üldandmete teenus / Master Patient Index - Local Development build (v1.0.0). See the Directory of published versions

Resource Profile: EEMPIPatient - Detailed Descriptions

Draft as of 2023-05-30

Definitions for the ee-mpi-patient resource profile.

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

1. Patient
2. Patient.maritalStatus
Control0..01
3. Patient.photo
Control0..0*
4. Patient.contact
Control0..0*
5. Patient.communication
Must Supporttrue
6. Patient.generalPractitioner
Control0..0*
7. Patient.managingOrganization
Control0..01
8. Patient.link
Control0..0*

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

1. Patient
Definition

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

Control0..*
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamesSubjectOfCare Client Resident
InvariantsDefined on this element
dom-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().ofType(canonical) | %resource.descendants().ofType(uri) | %resource.descendants().ofType(url))) or descendants().where(reference = '#').exists() or descendants().where(ofType(canonical) = '#').exists() or descendants().where(ofType(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.

Control0..1
Typeuri
Is Modifiertrue
Summarytrue
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 its narrative along with other profiles, value sets, etc.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
3. Patient.contained
Definition

These resources do not have an independent existence apart from the resource that contains them - they cannot be identified independently, nor can they have their own independent transaction scope. This is allowed to be a Parameters resource if and only if it is referenced by a resource that provides context/meaning.

Control0..* This element is affected by the following invariants: dom-2, dom-4, dom-3, dom-5
TypeResource
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesinline resources, anonymous resources, contained 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.

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 managable, 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).

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue
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
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
5. Patient.identifier
Definition

An identifier for this patient.

NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Control10..*
TypeIdentifier
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Patients are almost always assigned specific numerical identifiers.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
6. Patient.identifier.use
Definition

The purpose of this identifier.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from IdentifierUse

Identifies the purpose for this identifier, if known .

Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
7. 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.

Control10..1
Typeboolean
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

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

Patsiendi nimi

A name associated with the individual.

Control0..*
TypeHumanName
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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. Animal names may be communicated as given names, and optionally may include a family name.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.name. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ use
9. Patient.name.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for this name.

Control10..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUse

The use of a human name.

Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
10. 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.

Control0..1
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

A renderable, unencoded form.

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
11. 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.

Control0..1
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Alternate Namessurname
Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
12. Patient.name.given
Definition

Given name.

Control0..*
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Alternate Namesfirst name, middle name
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
13. Patient.name:official
SliceNameofficial
Definition

A name associated with the individual.

Control0..1*
TypeHumanName
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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. Animal names may be communicated as given names, and optionally may include a family name.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
14. Patient.name:official.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for this name.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUse

The use of a human name.

Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

Fixed Valueofficial
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
15. Patient.name:official.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.

Control10..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Alternate Namessurname
Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
16. Patient.name:official.given
Definition

Given name.

Control10..1*
Typestring
Summarytrue
Alternate Namesfirst name, middle name
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
17. Patient.name:official.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.

Control0..1*
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
18. Patient.name:official.period
Definition

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

Control0..1
TypePeriod
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows names to be placed in historical context.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
19. Patient.name:nickname
SliceNamenickname
Definition

A name associated with the individual.

Control0..1*
TypeHumanName
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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. Animal names may be communicated as given names, and optionally may include a family name.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
20. Patient.name:nickname.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for this name.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUse

The use of a human name.

Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

Fixed Valuenickname
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
21. Patient.name:nickname.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.

Control10..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Requirements

A renderable, unencoded form.

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
22. Patient.name:nickname.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.

Control0..01
Typestring
Summarytrue
Alternate Namessurname
Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
23. Patient.name:nickname.given
Definition

Given name.

Control0..0*
Typestring
Summarytrue
Alternate Namesfirst name, middle name
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
24. Patient.name:nickname.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.

Control0..0*
Typestring
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
25. Patient.name:nickname.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.

Control0..0*
Typestring
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
26. Patient.telecom
Definition

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

Control0..*
TypeContactPoint
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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).

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
27. Patient.telecom.system
Definition

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

Control10..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: cpt-2
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointSystem

Telecommunications form for contact point.

Typecode
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
28. 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).

Control10..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: cpt-2
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
29. Patient.telecom.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for the contact point.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointUse

Use of contact point.

Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
30. Patient.telecom.period
Definition

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

Control0..1
TypePeriod
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
31. Patient.gender
Definition

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

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from Administrative GenderThe codes SHALL be taken from AdministrativeGender
Typecode
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
32. Patient.birthDate
Definition

The date of birth for the individual.

Control0..1
Typedate
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Age of the individual drives many clinical processes.

Comments

Partial dates are allowed if the specific date of birth 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).

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
LOINC Code21112-8
33. Patient.birthDate.extension:birthTime
SliceNamebirthTime
Definition

The time of day that the Patient was born. This includes the date to ensure that the timezone information can be communicated effectively.

Control0..1
TypeExtension(PatBirthTime) (Extension Type: dateTime)
Must Supporttrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
34. Patient.birthDate.extension:birthTime.extension
Definition

An Extension

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 managable, 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.

Control0..0*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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.birthDate.extension.extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
35. Patient.birthDate.extension:birthTime.url
Definition

Source of the definition for the extension code - a logical name or a URL.

Control1..1
Typeuri
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
Comments

The definition may point directly to a computable or human-readable definition of the extensibility codes, or it may be a logical URI as declared in some other specification. The definition SHALL be a URI for the Structure Definition defining the extension.

Fixed Valuehttp://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/patient-birthTime
36. Patient.birthDate.extension:birthTime.value[x]
Definition

Value of extension - must be one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility for a list).

Control10..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ext-1
TypeChoice of: dateTime, date, Meta, Address, Attachment, integer, Count, DataRequirement, Dosage, uuid, Identifier, RatioRange, Coding, SampledData, id, positiveInt, Distance, Availability, integer64, Period, Duration, canonical, Range, RelatedArtifact, base64Binary, UsageContext, Timing, decimal, ExtendedContactDetail, CodeableConcept, ParameterDefinition, code, string, oid, instant, ContactPoint, HumanName, Money, markdown, Ratio, Age, Reference, TriggerDefinition, Quantity, uri, url, Annotation, ContactDetail, boolean, Expression, CodeableReference, Signature, unsignedInt, time
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Must Supporttrue
Summaryfalse
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
37. Patient.birthDate.extension:age
SliceNameage
Definition

Patient age measure and unit

Control0..1
TypeExtension(ExtensionEEBasePatientAge) (Extension Type: Age)
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
38. Patient.birthDate.extension:accuracyIndicator
SliceNameaccuracyIndicator
Definition

General date accuracy indicator coding.

Control0..1
TypeExtension(ExtensionEEBaseDateAccuracyIndicator) (Extension Type: Coding)
Comments

In some circumstances, systems may capture date or dateTime data that has unknown or estimated parts. This coding indicates the accuracy of the day, month and year parts. This concept is equivalent to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data element 294418 Date—accuracy indicator.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
39. Patient.deceased[x]
Definition

Indicates if the individual is deceased or not.

Control0..1
TypeChoice of: boolean, dateTime
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
Must Support TypesNo must-support rules about the choice of types/profiles
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.

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
40. Patient.deceased[x].extension:accuracyIndicator
SliceNameaccuracyIndicator
Definition

General date accuracy indicator coding.

Control0..1
TypeExtension(ExtensionEEBaseDateAccuracyIndicator) (Extension Type: Coding)
Summaryfalse
Comments

In some circumstances, systems may capture date or dateTime data that has unknown or estimated parts. This coding indicates the accuracy of the day, month and year parts. This concept is equivalent to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data element 294418 Date—accuracy indicator.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
41. Patient.address
Definition

An address expressed using postal conventions (as opposed to GPS or other location definition formats). This data type may be used to convey addresses for use in delivering mail as well as for visiting locations which might not be valid for mail delivery. There are a variety of postal address formats defined around the world. The ISO21090-codedString may be used to provide a coded representation of the contents of strings in an Address.

An address for the individual.

Control0..*
TypeAddress(EEBaseAddress)
Must Supporttrue
Requirements

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

Comments

Note: address is intended to describe postal addresses for administrative purposes, not to describe absolute geographical coordinates. Postal addresses are often used as proxies for physical locations (also see the Location resource).

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
42. Patient.maritalStatus
Definition

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

Control0..01
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from MaritalStatusCodes; other codes may be used where these codes are not suitable

The domestic partnership status of a person.

TypeCodeableConcept
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Most, if not all systems capture it.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
43. Patient.photo
Definition

Image of the patient.

Control0..0*
TypeAttachment
Summaryfalse
Requirements

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

Comments

Guidelines:

  • Use id photos, not clinical photos.
  • Limit dimensions to thumbnail.
  • Keep byte count low to ease resource updates.
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
44. Patient.contact
Definition

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

Control0..0*
TypeBackboneElement
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Need to track people you can contact about 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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
45. Patient.communication
Definition

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

Control0..*
TypeBackboneElement
Must Supporttrue
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.

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
46. 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 managable, 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).

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue
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
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
47. 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-AU" for Australian English.

Control1..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AllLanguages

IETF language tag for a human language

TypeCodeableConcept
Summaryfalse
Requirements

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

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
48. Patient.generalPractitioner
Definition

Patient's nominated care provider.

Control0..0*
TypeReference(EEBasePractitioner|EEBasePractitionerRole|Organization|Practitioner|PractitionerRole)
Must Supporttrue
Must Support TypesNo must-support rules about the choice of types/profiles
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamescareProvider
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
49. Patient.managingOrganization
Definition

Organization that is the custodian of the patient record.

Control0..01
TypeReference(EEBaseOrganization|Organization)
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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).

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
50. Patient.link
Definition

Link to a Patient or RelatedPerson resource that concerns the same actual individual.

Control0..0*
TypeBackboneElement
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
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.
Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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.

1. Patient
Definition

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

Control0..*
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamesSubjectOfCare Client Resident
2. Patient.id
Definition

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

Control0..1
Typeid
Summarytrue
Comments

Within the context of the FHIR RESTful interactions, the resource has an id except for cases like the create and conditional update. Otherwise, the use of the resouce id depends on the given use case.

3. 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.

Control0..1
TypeMeta
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
4. 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.

Control0..1
Typeuri
Is Modifiertrue
Summarytrue
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 its narrative along with other profiles, value sets, etc.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
5. Patient.language
Definition

The base language in which the resource is written.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AllLanguages IETF language tag for a human languag
Typecode
Summaryfalse
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).

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
6. 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.

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: dom-6
TypeNarrative
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesnarrative, html, xhtml, display
Comments

Contained resources do not have a 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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
7. Patient.contained
Definition

These resources do not have an independent existence apart from the resource that contains them - they cannot be identified independently, nor can they have their own independent transaction scope. This is allowed to be a Parameters resource if and only if it is referenced by a resource that provides context/meaning.

Control0..* This element is affected by the following invariants: dom-2, dom-4, dom-3, dom-5
TypeResource
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesinline resources, anonymous resources, contained 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.

8. 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 managable, 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.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
9. 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 managable, 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).

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue
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
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
10. Patient.identifier
Definition

An identifier for this patient.

NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Control1..*
TypeIdentifier
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Patients are almost always assigned specific numerical identifiers.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
11. 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.

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
Typeid
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
12. 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 managable, 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.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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
13. Patient.identifier.use
Definition

The purpose of this identifier.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from IdentifierUse Identifies the purpose for this identifier, if known
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
14. Patient.identifier.type
Definition

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

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from IdentifierTypeCodes; other codes may be used where these codes are not suitable A coded type for an identifier that can be used to determine which identifier to use for a specific purpose
TypeCodeableConcept
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
15. Patient.identifier.system
Definition

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

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from Person Identity System; other codes may be used where these codes are not suitable
Typeuri
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.

Comments

Identifier.system is always case sensitive.

Example
General:http://www.acme.com/identifiers/patient
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
16. Patient.identifier.value
Definition

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

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ident-1
Typestring
Summarytrue
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 http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/rendered-value). 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.

Example
General:123456
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
17. Patient.identifier.period
Definition

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

Control0..1
TypePeriod
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
18. Patient.identifier.assigner
Definition

Organization that issued/manages the identifier.

Control0..1
TypeReference(Organization)
Summarytrue
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
19. 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.

Control1..1
Typeboolean
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

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

Patsiendi nimi

Control0..*
TypeHumanName
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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. Animal names may be communicated as given names, and optionally may include a family name.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.name. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ use
21. 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.

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
Typeid
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
22. 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 managable, 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.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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
23. Patient.name.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for this name.

Control1..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUse The use of a human name
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
24. 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.

Control0..1
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

A renderable, unencoded form.

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
25. 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.

Control0..1
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Alternate Namessurname
Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
26. Patient.name.given
Definition

Given name.

Control0..*
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Alternate Namesfirst name, middle name
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
27. 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.

Control0..*
Typestring
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
28. 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.

Control0..*
Typestring
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
29. Patient.name.period
Definition

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

Control0..1
TypePeriod
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows names to be placed in historical context.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
30. Patient.name:official
SliceNameofficial
Definition

A name associated with the individual.

Control0..1
TypeHumanName
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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. Animal names may be communicated as given names, and optionally may include a family name.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
31. Patient.name:official.id
Definition

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

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
Typeid
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
32. Patient.name:official.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 managable, 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.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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
33. Patient.name:official.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for this name.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUse The use of a human name
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

Fixed Valueofficial
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
34. Patient.name:official.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.

Control0..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Requirements

A renderable, unencoded form.

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
35. Patient.name:official.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.

Control1..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Alternate Namessurname
Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
36. Patient.name:official.given
Definition

Given name.

Control1..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Alternate Namesfirst name, middle name
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
37. Patient.name:official.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.

Control0..1
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
38. Patient.name:official.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.

Control0..*
Typestring
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
39. Patient.name:official.period
Definition

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

Control0..1
TypePeriod
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows names to be placed in historical context.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
40. Patient.name:nickname
SliceNamenickname
Definition

A name associated with the individual.

Control0..1
TypeHumanName
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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. Animal names may be communicated as given names, and optionally may include a family name.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
41. Patient.name:nickname.id
Definition

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

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
Typeid
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
42. Patient.name:nickname.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 managable, 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.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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
43. Patient.name:nickname.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for this name.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUse The use of a human name
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

Fixed Valuenickname
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
44. Patient.name:nickname.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.

Control1..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Requirements

A renderable, unencoded form.

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
45. Patient.name:nickname.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.

Control0..0
Typestring
Summarytrue
Alternate Namessurname
Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
46. Patient.name:nickname.given
Definition

Given name.

Control0..0
Typestring
Summarytrue
Alternate Namesfirst name, middle name
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
47. Patient.name:nickname.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.

Control0..0
Typestring
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
48. Patient.name:nickname.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.

Control0..0
Typestring
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
49. Patient.name:nickname.period
Definition

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

Control0..1
TypePeriod
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows names to be placed in historical context.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
50. Patient.telecom
Definition

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

Control0..*
TypeContactPoint
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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).

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
51. 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.

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
Typeid
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
52. 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 managable, 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.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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
53. Patient.telecom.system
Definition

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

Control1..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: cpt-2
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointSystem Telecommunications form for contact point
Typecode
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
54. 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).

Control1..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: cpt-2
Typestring
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
55. Patient.telecom.use
Definition

Identifies the purpose for the contact point.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointUse Use of contact point
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
56. 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.

Control0..1
TypepositiveInt
Summarytrue
Comments

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

Ranks need not be unique. E.g. it's possible to have multiple contacts with rank=1. If the ranks have different systems or uses, this would be interpreted to mean "X is my most preferred phone number, Y is my most preferred email address" or "X is my preferred home email and Y is my preferred work email". If the system and use for equally-ranked contacts are the same, then the level of preference is equivalent for both repetitions.

Ranks need not be sequential and not all repetitions must have a rank. For example, it's possible to have 4 contacts with ranks of 2, 5 and two with no rank specified. That would be interpreted to mean the first is preferred over the second and no preference stated for the remaining contacts.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
57. Patient.telecom.period
Definition

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

Control0..1
TypePeriod
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
58. Patient.gender
Definition

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

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from Administrative Gender
Typecode
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
59. Patient.birthDate
Definition

The date of birth for the individual.

Control0..1
Typedate
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

Age of the individual drives many clinical processes.

Comments

Partial dates are allowed if the specific date of birth 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).

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
LOINC Code21112-8
60. Patient.birthDate.id
Definition

unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references)

Control0..1
Typestring
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
61. Patient.birthDate.extension
Definition

An Extension

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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.birthDate.extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
62. Patient.birthDate.extension:birthTime
SliceNamebirthTime
Definition

The time of day that the Patient was born. This includes the date to ensure that the timezone information can be communicated effectively.

Control0..1
TypeExtension(PatBirthTime) (Extension Type: dateTime)
Must Supporttrue
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
63. Patient.birthDate.extension:birthTime.id
Definition

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

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
Typeid
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
64. Patient.birthDate.extension:birthTime.extension
Definition

An Extension

Control0..0
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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.birthDate.extension.extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
65. Patient.birthDate.extension:birthTime.url
Definition

Source of the definition for the extension code - a logical name or a URL.

Control1..1
Typeuri
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
Comments

The definition may point directly to a computable or human-readable definition of the extensibility codes, or it may be a logical URI as declared in some other specification. The definition SHALL be a URI for the Structure Definition defining the extension.

Fixed Valuehttp://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/patient-birthTime
66. Patient.birthDate.extension:birthTime.value[x]
Definition

Value of extension - must be one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility for a list).

Control1..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ext-1
TypedateTime
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Must Supporttrue
Summaryfalse
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
67. Patient.birthDate.extension:age
SliceNameage
Definition

Patient age measure and unit

Control0..1
TypeExtension(ExtensionEEBasePatientAge) (Extension Type: Age)
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
68. Patient.birthDate.extension:accuracyIndicator
SliceNameaccuracyIndicator
Definition

General date accuracy indicator coding.

Control0..1
TypeExtension(ExtensionEEBaseDateAccuracyIndicator) (Extension Type: Coding)
Comments

In some circumstances, systems may capture date or dateTime data that has unknown or estimated parts. This coding indicates the accuracy of the day, month and year parts. This concept is equivalent to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data element 294418 Date—accuracy indicator.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
69. Patient.birthDate.value
Definition

The actual value

Control0..1
Typedate
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
70. Patient.deceased[x]
Definition

Indicates if the individual is deceased or not.

Control0..1
TypeChoice of: boolean, dateTime
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
Must Support TypesNo must-support rules about the choice of types/profiles
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.

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
71. Patient.deceased[x].id
Definition

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

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
Typestring
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
72. Patient.deceased[x].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 managable, 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.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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.deceased[x].extension. The slices are unordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • value @ url
73. Patient.deceased[x].extension:accuracyIndicator
SliceNameaccuracyIndicator
Definition

General date accuracy indicator coding.

Control0..1
TypeExtension(ExtensionEEBaseDateAccuracyIndicator) (Extension Type: Coding)
Summaryfalse
Comments

In some circumstances, systems may capture date or dateTime data that has unknown or estimated parts. This coding indicates the accuracy of the day, month and year parts. This concept is equivalent to Australian Institute of Health and Welfare data element 294418 Date—accuracy indicator.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
74. Patient.address
Definition

An address expressed using postal conventions (as opposed to GPS or other location definition formats). This data type may be used to convey addresses for use in delivering mail as well as for visiting locations which might not be valid for mail delivery. There are a variety of postal address formats defined around the world. The ISO21090-codedString may be used to provide a coded representation of the contents of strings in an Address.

Control0..*
TypeAddress(EEBaseAddress)
Must Supporttrue
Requirements

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

Comments

Note: address is intended to describe postal addresses for administrative purposes, not to describe absolute geographical coordinates. Postal addresses are often used as proxies for physical locations (also see the Location resource).

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
75. Patient.maritalStatus
Definition

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

Control0..0
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from MaritalStatusCodes; other codes may be used where these codes are not suitable The domestic partnership status of a person
TypeCodeableConcept
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Most, if not all systems capture it.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
76. Patient.multipleBirth[x]
Definition

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

Control0..1
TypeChoice of: boolean, integer
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Summaryfalse
Requirements

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

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).

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
77. Patient.photo
Definition

Image of the patient.

Control0..0
TypeAttachment
Summaryfalse
Requirements

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

Comments

Guidelines:

  • Use id photos, not clinical photos.
  • Limit dimensions to thumbnail.
  • Keep byte count low to ease resource updates.
InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
78. Patient.contact
Definition

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

Control0..0
TypeBackboneElement
Summaryfalse
Requirements

Need to track people you can contact about 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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
79. Patient.communication
Definition

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

Control0..*
TypeBackboneElement
Must Supporttrue
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.

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
80. 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.

Control0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
Typestring
XML RepresentationIn the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summaryfalse
81. 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 managable, 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.

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Summaryfalse
Alternate Namesextensions, user content
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
82. 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 managable, 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).

Control0..*
TypeExtension
Is Modifiertrue
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
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-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())
83. 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-AU" for Australian English.

Control1..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AllLanguages IETF language tag for a human languag
TypeCodeableConcept
Summaryfalse
Requirements

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

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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
84. Patient.communication.preferred
Definition

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

Control0..1
Typeboolean
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.

Comments

This language is specifically identified for communicating healthcare information.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
85. Patient.generalPractitioner
Definition

Patient's nominated care provider.

Control0..0
TypeReference(EEBasePractitioner|EEBasePractitionerRole)
Must Supporttrue
Must Support TypesNo must-support rules about the choice of types/profiles
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamescareProvider
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.

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
86. Patient.managingOrganization
Definition

Organization that is the custodian of the patient record.

Control0..0
TypeReference(EEBaseOrganization)
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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).

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
87. Patient.link
Definition

Link to a Patient or RelatedPerson resource that concerns the same actual individual.

Control0..0
TypeBackboneElement
Is Modifiertrue
Must Supporttrue
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.
Comments

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

InvariantsDefined on this element
ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (: hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))