minimal Common Oncology Data Elements (mCODE) Implementation Guide
4.0.0-ballot - ballot United States of America flag

minimal Common Oncology Data Elements (mCODE) Implementation Guide, published by HL7 International / Clinical Interoperability Council. This guide is not an authorized publication; it is the continuous build for version 4.0.0-ballot built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) CI Build. This version is based on the current content of https://github.com/HL7/fhir-mCODE-ig/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions

Resource Profile: CancerPatient - Detailed Descriptions

Active as of 2024-03-26 Maturity Level: 5

Definitions for the mcode-cancer-patient resource profile.

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

0. Patient
Must Supporttrue
LOINC Code
2. Patient.extension:birthsex
Slice Namebirthsex
Must Supporttrue
LOINC Code
4. Patient.deceased[x]
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Must Supporttrue
LOINC Code

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

0. Patient
Definition

-


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

ShortInformation about an individual or animal receiving health care services
Comments

-

Control0..*
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamesSubjectOfCare Client Resident
Invariantsdom-2: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT contain nested Resources (contained.contained.empty())
dom-3: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL be referred to from elsewhere in the resource or SHALL refer to the containing resource (contained.where((('#'+id in (%resource.descendants().reference | %resource.descendants().as(canonical) | %resource.descendants().as(uri) | %resource.descendants().as(url))) or descendants().where(reference = '#').exists() or descendants().where(as(canonical) = '#').exists() or descendants().where(as(canonical) = '#').exists()).not()).trace('unmatched', id).empty())
dom-4: If a resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT have a meta.versionId or a meta.lastUpdated (contained.meta.versionId.empty() and contained.meta.lastUpdated.empty())
dom-5: If a resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT have a security label (contained.meta.security.empty())
dom-6: A resource should have narrative for robust management (text.`div`.exists())
us-core-6: Either Patient.name.given and/or Patient.name.family SHALL be present or a Data Absent Reason Extension SHALL be present. ((name.family.exists() or name.given.exists()) xor extension.where(url='http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/data-absent-reason').exists())
2. Patient.implicitRules
Definition

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

ShortA set of rules under which this content was created
Comments

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

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

Concepts classifying the person into a named category of humans sharing common history, traits, geographical origin or nationality. The race codes used to represent these concepts are based upon the CDC Race and Ethnicity Code Set Version 1.0 which includes over 900 concepts for representing race and ethnicity of which 921 reference race. The race concepts are grouped by and pre-mapped to the 5 OMB race categories:

  • American Indian or Alaska Native
  • Asian
  • Black or African American
  • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
  • White.
ShortUS Core Race Extension
Control0..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
TypeExtension(US Core Race Extension) (Complex Extension)
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supportfalse
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
LOINC Code
6. Patient.extension:ethnicity
Slice Nameethnicity
Definition

Concepts classifying the person into a named category of humans sharing common history, traits, geographical origin or nationality. The ethnicity codes used to represent these concepts are based upon the CDC ethnicity and Ethnicity Code Set Version 1.0 which includes over 900 concepts for representing race and ethnicity of which 43 reference ethnicity. The ethnicity concepts are grouped by and pre-mapped to the 2 OMB ethnicity categories: - Hispanic or Latino - Not Hispanic or Latino.

ShortUS Core ethnicity Extension
Control0..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
TypeExtension(US Core Ethnicity Extension) (Complex Extension)
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supportfalse
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
LOINC Code
8. Patient.extension:birthsex
Slice Namebirthsex
Definition

A code classifying the person's sex assigned at birth as specified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).

ShortExtension
Comments

The codes required are intended to present birth sex (i.e., the sex recorded on the patient’s birth certificate) and not gender identity or reassigned sex.

Control0..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
TypeExtension(US Core Birth Sex Extension) (Extension Type: code)
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
LOINC Code
10. Patient.extension:genderIdentity
Slice NamegenderIdentity
Definition

An Extension

ShortExtension
Control0..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
TypeExtension(US Core Gender Identity Extension) (Extension Type: CodeableConcept)
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supportfalse
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
LOINC Code
12. Patient.modifierExtension
Definition

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

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

ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored
Comments

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

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

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

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

An identifier for this patient.

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

Patients are almost always assigned specific numerical identifiers.

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

The purpose of this identifier.

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

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

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from IdentifierUsehttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/identifier-use|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/identifier-use|4.0.1)

Identifies the purpose for this identifier, if known .

Typecode
Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary id for a permanent one.
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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

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

ShortThe namespace for the identifier value
Comments

Identifier.system is always case sensitive.

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

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

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

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

ShortThe value that is unique within the system.
Comments

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

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

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

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

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

ShortWhether this patient's record is in active use
Comments

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

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

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

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

A name associated with the individual.

ShortA name associated with the patient
Comments

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

Control10..*
TypeHumanName
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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

Identifies the purpose for this name.

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

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

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUsehttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/name-use|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/name-use|4.0.1)

The use of a human name.

Typecode
Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary or old name etc.for a current/permanent one
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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

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

ShortFamily name (often called 'Surname')
Comments

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

Control0..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: us-core-6
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Alternate Namessurname
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
30. Patient.name.given
Definition

Given name.

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

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

Control0..*
This element is affected by the following invariants: us-core-6
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Alternate Namesfirst name, middle name
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
32. Patient.telecom
Definition

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

ShortA contact detail for the individual
Comments

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

Control0..*
TypeContactPoint
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supportfalse
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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

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

Shortphone | fax | email | pager | url | sms | other
Control10..1
This element is affected by the following invariants: cpt-2
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointSystemhttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/contact-point-system|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/contact-point-system)

Telecommunications form for contact point.

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

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

ShortThe actual contact point details
Comments

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

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

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

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

Identifies the purpose for the contact point.

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

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

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

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

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

Shortmale | female | other | unknown
Comments

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

Control10..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AdministrativeGenderhttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/administrative-gender|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/administrative-gender)
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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

The date of birth for the individual.

ShortThe date of birth for the individual
Comments

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

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

Age of the individual drives many clinical processes.

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

Indicates if the individual is deceased or not.

ShortIndicates if the individual is deceased or not
Comments

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

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

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

An address for the individual.

ShortAn address for the individual
Comments

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

Control0..*
TypeAddress
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Requirements

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

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

The purpose of this address.

Shorthome | work | temp | old | billing - purpose of this address
Comments

Applications can assume that an address is current unless it explicitly says that it is temporary or old.

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AddressUsehttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/address-use|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/address-use|4.0.1)

The use of an address.

Typecode
Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary or old address etc.for a current/permanent one
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summarytrue
Requirements

Allows an appropriate address to be chosen from a list of many.

Example<br/><b>General</b>:home
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
50. Patient.address.line
Definition

This component contains the house number, apartment number, street name, street direction, P.O. Box number, delivery hints, and similar address information.

ShortStreet name, number, direction & P.O. Box etc.
Control0..*
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Example<br/><b>General</b>:137 Nowhere Street
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
52. Patient.address.city
Definition

The name of the city, town, suburb, village or other community or delivery center.

ShortName of city, town etc.
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Alternate NamesMunicpality
Example<br/><b>General</b>:Erewhon
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
54. Patient.address.state
Definition

Sub-unit of a country with limited sovereignty in a federally organized country. A code may be used if codes are in common use (e.g. US 2 letter state codes).

ShortSub-unit of country (abbreviations ok)
Control0..1
BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from For codes, see USPS Two Letter Alphabetic Codes
(extensible to http://hl7.org/fhir/us/core/ValueSet/us-core-usps-state)

Two Letter USPS alphabetic codes.

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

A postal code designating a region defined by the postal service.

ShortUS Zip CodesPostal code for area
Control0..1
Typestring
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Supporttrue
Summarytrue
Alternate NamesZip, Zip Code
Example<br/><b>General</b>:9132
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
58. Patient.address.period
Definition

Time period when address was/is in use.

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

Allows addresses to be placed in historical context.

Example<br/><b>General</b>:{ "start" : "2010-03-23", "end" : "2010-07-01" }
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
60. Patient.communication
Definition

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

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

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

Control0..*
TypeBackboneElement
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supportfalse
Summaryfalse
Requirements

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

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

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

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

ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized
Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Control1..1
BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from The codes SHOULD be taken from Language codes with language and optionally a region modifierhttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/languages
(extensible to http://hl7.org/fhir/us/core/ValueSet/simple-language)
TypeCodeableConcept
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summaryfalse
Requirements

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

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

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

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

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

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

There are multiple use cases:

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

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

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

ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized
Comments

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

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

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

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

The other patient resource that the link refers to.

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

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

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

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

Shortreplaced-by | replaces | refer | seealso
Control1..1
BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from LinkTypehttp://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/link-type|4.0.1
(required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/link-type|4.0.1)

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

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

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

0. Patient
Definition

-

ShortInformation about an individual or animal receiving health care services
Comments

-

Control0..*
Is Modifierfalse
Must Supporttrue
Summaryfalse
Alternate NamesSubjectOfCare Client Resident
Invariantsdom-2: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT contain nested Resources (contained.contained.empty())
dom-3: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL be referred to from elsewhere in the resource or SHALL refer to the containing resource (contained.where((('#'+id in (%resource.descendants().reference | %resource.descendants().as(canonical) | %resource.descendants().as(uri) | %resource.descendants().as(url))) or descendants().where(reference = '#').exists() or descendants().where(as(canonical) = '#').exists() or descendants().where(as(canonical) = '#').exists()).not()).trace('unmatched', id).empty())
dom-4: If a resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT have a meta.versionId or a meta.lastUpdated (contained.meta.versionId.empty() and contained.meta.lastUpdated.empty())
dom-5: If a resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT have a security label (contained.meta.security.empty())
dom-6: A resource should have narrative for robust management (text.`div`.exists())
us-core-6: Either Patient.name.given and/or Patient.name.family SHALL be present or a Data Absent Reason Extension SHALL be present. ((name.family.exists() or name.given.exists()) xor extension.where(url='http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/data-absent-reason').exists())
2. Patient.id
Definition

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

ShortLogical id of this artifact
Comments

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

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

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

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

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

ShortA set of rules under which this content was created
Comments

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

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

The base language in which the resource is written.

ShortLanguage of the resource content
Comments

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

Control0..1
BindingThe codes SHOULD be taken from CommonLanguages
(preferred to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/languages)

A human language.

Additional BindingsPurpose
AllLanguagesMax Binding
Typecode
Is Modifierfalse
Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summaryfalse
Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
10. Patient.text
Definition

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

ShortText summary of the resource, for human interpretation
Comments

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

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

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

ShortContained, inline Resources
Comments

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

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

An Extension

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

    Concepts classifying the person into a named category of humans sharing common history, traits, geographical origin or nationality. The race codes used to represent these concepts are based upon the CDC Race and Ethnicity Code Set Version 1.0 which includes over 900 concepts for representing race and ethnicity of which 921 reference race. The race concepts are grouped by and pre-mapped to the 5 OMB race categories:

    • American Indian or Alaska Native
    • Asian
    • Black or African American
    • Native Hawaiian or Other Pacific Islander
    • White.
    ShortUS Core Race Extension
    Control0..1
    This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
    TypeExtension(US Core Race Extension) (Complex Extension)
    Is Modifierfalse
    Must Supportfalse
    Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
    ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
    18. Patient.extension:ethnicity
    Slice Nameethnicity
    Definition

    Concepts classifying the person into a named category of humans sharing common history, traits, geographical origin or nationality. The ethnicity codes used to represent these concepts are based upon the CDC ethnicity and Ethnicity Code Set Version 1.0 which includes over 900 concepts for representing race and ethnicity of which 43 reference ethnicity. The ethnicity concepts are grouped by and pre-mapped to the 2 OMB ethnicity categories: - Hispanic or Latino - Not Hispanic or Latino.

    ShortUS Core ethnicity Extension
    Control0..1
    This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
    TypeExtension(US Core Ethnicity Extension) (Complex Extension)
    Is Modifierfalse
    Must Supportfalse
    Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
    ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
    20. Patient.extension:birthsex
    Slice Namebirthsex
    Definition

    A code classifying the person's sex assigned at birth as specified by the Office of the National Coordinator for Health IT (ONC).

    ShortExtension
    Comments

    The codes required are intended to present birth sex (i.e., the sex recorded on the patient’s birth certificate) and not gender identity or reassigned sex.

    Control0..1
    This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
    TypeExtension(US Core Birth Sex Extension) (Extension Type: code)
    Is Modifierfalse
    Must Supporttrue
    Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
    ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
    22. Patient.extension:genderIdentity
    Slice NamegenderIdentity
    Definition

    An Extension

    ShortExtension
    Control0..1
    This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
    TypeExtension(US Core Gender Identity Extension) (Extension Type: CodeableConcept)
    Is Modifierfalse
    Must Supportfalse
    Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
    ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (extension.exists() != value.exists())
    24. Patient.modifierExtension
    Definition

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

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

    ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored
    Comments

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

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

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

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

    An identifier for this patient.

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

    Patients are almost always assigned specific numerical identifiers.

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

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

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

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

    ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
    Comments

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

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

      The purpose of this identifier.

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

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

      Control0..1
      BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from IdentifierUse
      (required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/identifier-use|4.0.1)

      Identifies the purpose for this identifier, if known .

      Typecode
      Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary id for a permanent one.
      Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
      Summarytrue
      Requirements

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

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

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

      ShortDescription of identifier
      Comments

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

      Control0..1
      BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from Identifier Type Codes
      (extensible to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/identifier-type)

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

      TypeCodeableConcept
      Is Modifierfalse
      Summarytrue
      Requirements

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

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

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

      ShortThe namespace for the identifier value
      Comments

      Identifier.system is always case sensitive.

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

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

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

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

      ShortThe value that is unique within the system.
      Comments

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

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

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

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

      Organization that issued/manages the identifier.

      ShortOrganization that issued id (may be just text)
      Comments

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

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

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

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

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

      ShortWhether this patient's record is in active use
      Comments

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

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

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

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

      A name associated with the individual.

      ShortA name associated with the patient
      Comments

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

      Control1..*
      TypeHumanName
      Is Modifierfalse
      Must Supporttrue
      Summarytrue
      Requirements

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

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

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

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

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

      ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
      Comments

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

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

        Identifies the purpose for this name.

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

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

        Control0..1
        BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from NameUse
        (required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/name-use|4.0.1)

        The use of a human name.

        Typecode
        Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary or old name etc.for a current/permanent one
        Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
        Summarytrue
        Requirements

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

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

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

        ShortText representation of the full name
        Comments

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

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

        A renderable, unencoded form.

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

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

        ShortFamily name (often called 'Surname')
        Comments

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

        Control0..1
        This element is affected by the following invariants: us-core-6
        Typestring
        Is Modifierfalse
        Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
        Must Supporttrue
        Summarytrue
        Alternate Namessurname
        Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
        58. Patient.name.given
        Definition

        Given name.

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

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

        Control0..*
        This element is affected by the following invariants: us-core-6
        Typestring
        Is Modifierfalse
        Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
        Must Supporttrue
        Summarytrue
        Alternate Namesfirst name, middle name
        Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
        60. Patient.name.prefix
        Definition

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

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

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

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

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

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

        Allows names to be placed in historical context.

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

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

        ShortA contact detail for the individual
        Comments

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

        Control0..*
        TypeContactPoint
        Is Modifierfalse
        Must Supportfalse
        Summarytrue
        Requirements

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

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

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

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

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

        ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
        Comments

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

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

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

          Shortphone | fax | email | pager | url | sms | other
          Control1..1
          This element is affected by the following invariants: cpt-2
          BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from ContactPointSystem
          (required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/contact-point-system)

          Telecommunications form for contact point.

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

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

          ShortThe actual contact point details
          Comments

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

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

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

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

          Identifies the purpose for the contact point.

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

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

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

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

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

          ShortSpecify preferred order of use (1 = highest)
          Comments

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

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

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

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

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

          Shortmale | female | other | unknown
          Comments

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

          Control1..1
          BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AdministrativeGender
          (required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/administrative-gender)
          Typecode
          Is Modifierfalse
          Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
          Must Supporttrue
          Summarytrue
          Requirements

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

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

          The date of birth for the individual.

          ShortThe date of birth for the individual
          Comments

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

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

          Age of the individual drives many clinical processes.

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

          Indicates if the individual is deceased or not.

          ShortIndicates if the individual is deceased or not
          Comments

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

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

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

          An address for the individual.

          ShortAn address for the individual
          Comments

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

          Control0..*
          TypeAddress
          Is Modifierfalse
          Must Supporttrue
          Summarytrue
          Requirements

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

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

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

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

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

          ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
          Comments

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

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

            The purpose of this address.

            Shorthome | work | temp | old | billing - purpose of this address
            Comments

            Applications can assume that an address is current unless it explicitly says that it is temporary or old.

            Control0..1
            BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AddressUse
            (required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/address-use|4.0.1)

            The use of an address.

            Typecode
            Is Modifiertrue because This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not mistake a temporary or old address etc.for a current/permanent one
            Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
            Summarytrue
            Requirements

            Allows an appropriate address to be chosen from a list of many.

            Example<br/><b>General</b>:home
            Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
            96. Patient.address.type
            Definition

            Distinguishes between physical addresses (those you can visit) and mailing addresses (e.g. PO Boxes and care-of addresses). Most addresses are both.

            Shortpostal | physical | both
            Comments

            The definition of Address states that "address is intended to describe postal addresses, not physical locations". However, many applications track whether an address has a dual purpose of being a location that can be visited as well as being a valid delivery destination, and Postal addresses are often used as proxies for physical locations (also see the Location resource).

            Control0..1
            BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AddressType
            (required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/address-type|4.0.1)

            The type of an address (physical / postal).

            Typecode
            Is Modifierfalse
            Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
            Summarytrue
            Example<br/><b>General</b>:both
            Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
            98. Patient.address.text
            Definition

            Specifies the entire address as it should be displayed e.g. on a postal label. This may be provided instead of or as well as the specific parts.

            ShortText representation of the address
            Comments

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

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

            A renderable, unencoded form.

            Example<br/><b>General</b>:137 Nowhere Street, Erewhon 9132
            Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
            100. Patient.address.line
            Definition

            This component contains the house number, apartment number, street name, street direction, P.O. Box number, delivery hints, and similar address information.

            ShortStreet name, number, direction & P.O. Box etc.
            Control0..*
            Typestring
            Is Modifierfalse
            Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
            Must Supporttrue
            Summarytrue
            Example<br/><b>General</b>:137 Nowhere Street
            Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
            102. Patient.address.city
            Definition

            The name of the city, town, suburb, village or other community or delivery center.

            ShortName of city, town etc.
            Control0..1
            Typestring
            Is Modifierfalse
            Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
            Must Supporttrue
            Summarytrue
            Alternate NamesMunicpality
            Example<br/><b>General</b>:Erewhon
            Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
            104. Patient.address.district
            Definition

            The name of the administrative area (county).

            ShortDistrict name (aka county)
            Comments

            District is sometimes known as county, but in some regions 'county' is used in place of city (municipality), so county name should be conveyed in city instead.

            Control0..1
            Typestring
            Is Modifierfalse
            Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
            Summarytrue
            Alternate NamesCounty
            Example<br/><b>General</b>:Madison
            Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
            106. Patient.address.state
            Definition

            Sub-unit of a country with limited sovereignty in a federally organized country. A code may be used if codes are in common use (e.g. US 2 letter state codes).

            ShortSub-unit of country (abbreviations ok)
            Control0..1
            BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from USPS Two Letter Alphabetic Codes
            (extensible to http://hl7.org/fhir/us/core/ValueSet/us-core-usps-state)

            Two Letter USPS alphabetic codes.

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

            A postal code designating a region defined by the postal service.

            ShortUS Zip Codes
            Control0..1
            Typestring
            Is Modifierfalse
            Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
            Must Supporttrue
            Summarytrue
            Alternate NamesZip, Zip Code
            Example<br/><b>General</b>:9132
            Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
            110. Patient.address.country
            Definition

            Country - a nation as commonly understood or generally accepted.

            ShortCountry (e.g. can be ISO 3166 2 or 3 letter code)
            Comments

            ISO 3166 3 letter codes can be used in place of a human readable country name.

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

            Time period when address was/is in use.

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

            Allows addresses to be placed in historical context.

            Example<br/><b>General</b>:{ "start" : "2010-03-23", "end" : "2010-07-01" }
            Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
            114. Patient.maritalStatus
            Definition

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

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

            The domestic partnership status of a person.

            TypeCodeableConcept
            Is Modifierfalse
            Summaryfalse
            Requirements

            Most, if not all systems capture it.

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

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

            ShortWhether patient is part of a multiple birth
            Comments

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

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

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

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

            Image of the patient.

            ShortImage of the patient
            Comments

            Guidelines:

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

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

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

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

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

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

            Control0..*
            TypeBackboneElement
            Is Modifierfalse
            Summaryfalse
            Requirements

            Need to track people you can contact about the patient.

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

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

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

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

            ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
            Comments

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

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

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

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

            ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized
            Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

            The nature of the relationship between a patient and a contact person for that patient.

            TypeCodeableConcept
            Is Modifierfalse
            Summaryfalse
            Requirements

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

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

            A name associated with the contact person.

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

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

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

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

            ShortA contact detail for the person
            Comments

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

            Control0..*
            TypeContactPoint
            Is Modifierfalse
            Summaryfalse
            Requirements

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

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

            Address for the contact person.

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

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

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

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

            Shortmale | female | other | unknown
            Control0..1
            BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from AdministrativeGender
            (required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/administrative-gender|4.0.1)

            The gender of a person used for administrative purposes.

            Typecode
            Is Modifierfalse
            Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
            Summaryfalse
            Requirements

            Needed to address the person correctly.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

            Control0..*
            TypeBackboneElement
            Is Modifierfalse
            Must Supportfalse
            Summaryfalse
            Requirements

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

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

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

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

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

            ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
            Comments

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

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

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

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

            ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized
            Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

            Control1..1
            BindingUnless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from Language codes with language and optionally a region modifier
            (extensible to http://hl7.org/fhir/us/core/ValueSet/simple-language)
            TypeCodeableConcept
            Is Modifierfalse
            Must Supporttrue
            Summaryfalse
            Requirements

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

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

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

            ShortLanguage preference indicator
            Comments

            This language is specifically identified for communicating healthcare information.

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

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

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

            Patient's nominated care provider.

            ShortPatient's nominated primary care provider
            Comments

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

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

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

            Organization that is the custodian of the patient record.

            ShortOrganization that is the custodian of the patient record
            Comments

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

            There are multiple use cases:

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

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

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

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

            ShortAdditional content defined by implementations
            Comments

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

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

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

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

            ShortExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized
            Comments

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

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

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

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

            The other patient resource that the link refers to.

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

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

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

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

            Shortreplaced-by | replaces | refer | seealso
            Control1..1
            BindingThe codes SHALL be taken from LinkType
            (required to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/link-type|4.0.1)

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

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