CH EPR FHIR (R4)
4.0.1-ballot-2 - ballot Switzerland flag

CH EPR FHIR (R4), published by eHealth Suisse. This guide is not an authorized publication; it is the continuous build for version 4.0.1-ballot-2 built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) CI Build. This version is based on the current content of https://github.com/ehealthsuisse/ch-epr-fhir/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions

Resource Profile: CHPDQmMatchInput - Detailed Descriptions

Active as of 2024-11-19

Definitions for the CHPDQmMatchInput resource profile.

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

0. Patient
2. Patient.identifier
NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Must Supporttrue
4. Patient.name
SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.name. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
  • profile @ $this
  • 6. Patient.name:HumanName
    Slice NameHumanName
    Control0..*
    TypeHumanName(CH EPR FHIR HumanName)
    Must Supporttrue
    8. Patient.name:BirthName
    Slice NameBirthName
    ShortThe birthname of the patient
    Comments

    The birthname is added with the ISO 21090 qualifier https://www.hl7.org/fhir/extension-iso21090-en-qualifier.html BR

    Control0..1
    TypeHumanName(CH EPR FHIR BirthName)
    Must Supporttrue
    10. Patient.telecom
    Control0..0
    12. Patient.gender
    Must Supporttrue
    14. Patient.birthDate
    Must Supporttrue
    LOINC Code
    16. Patient.address
    Must Supporttrue

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

    0. Patient
    Definition

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

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

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

    ShortA set of rules under which this content was created
    Comments

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

    Control0..01
    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:MothersMaidenName
    Slice NameMothersMaidenName
    Definition

    Mother's maiden (unmarried) name, commonly collected to help verify patient identity.

    ShortMother's Maiden name
    Control0..1
    This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
    TypeExtension(Patient Mother's Maiden Name) (Extension Type: string)
    Is Modifierfalse
    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())
    6. Patient.modifierExtension
    Definition

    An Extension


    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).

    ShortExtensionExtensions 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..0*
    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())
    8. Patient.identifier
    Definition

    An identifier for this patient.

    ShortAn identifier for this patient
    NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
    Control0..*
    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()))
    10. 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()))
    12. Patient.name
    Definition

    A name associated with the individual.

    ShortA name associated with the patient
    Comments

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

    Control0..*
    TypeHumanName
    Is Modifierfalse
    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()))
    SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.name. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
    • profile @ $this
    • 14. Patient.name:HumanName
      Slice NameHumanName
      Definition

      A human's name with the ability to identify parts and usage.


      A name associated with the individual.

      ShortName of a human - parts and usageA name associated with the patient
      Comments

      Names may be changed, or repudiated, or people may have different names in different contexts. Names may be divided into parts of different type that have variable significance depending on context, though the division into parts does not always matter. With personal names, the different parts might or might not be imbued with some implicit meaning; various cultures associate different importance with the name parts and the degree to which systems must care about name parts around the world varies widely.


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

      Control0..*
      This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
      TypeHumanName(CH EPR FHIR HumanName)
      Is Modifierfalse
      Must Supporttrue
      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()))
      ch-core-hm-1: if officalName with eCH-011 Extension is specified, it can only be put on a name where use attribute is official (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='officialName').empty() or (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='officialName').exists() and use='official'))
      ch-core-hm-2: if orginalName with eCH-011 Extension is specified, it can only be put on a name where use attribute is maiden (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='originalName').empty() or ((family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='originalName').exists() and use='maiden')))
      ch-core-hm-3: ch-ext-ech-11-name can only be put on a family name (descendants().extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name').count()=family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name').count())
      ch-core-hm-4: ch-ext-ech-11-firstname can only be put on a given name (descendants().extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-firstname').count()=given.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-firstname').count())
      ch-epr-fhir-1: For birth name (iso21090-EN-qualifier BR) use slice 'name:BirthName' (family.extension.where(url='http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/iso21090-EN-qualifier' and value='BR').exists()=false)
      16. Patient.name:BirthName
      Slice NameBirthName
      Definition

      A human's name with the ability to identify parts and usage.


      A name associated with the individual.

      ShortThe birthname of the patientA name associated with the patient
      Comments

      The birthname is added with the ISO 21090 qualifier https://www.hl7.org/fhir/extension-iso21090-en-qualifier.html BR


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

      Control0..1*
      This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
      TypeHumanName(CH EPR FHIR BirthName)
      Is Modifierfalse
      Must Supporttrue
      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()))
      ch-core-hm-1: if officalName with eCH-011 Extension is specified, it can only be put on a name where use attribute is official (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='officialName').empty() or (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='officialName').exists() and use='official'))
      ch-core-hm-2: if orginalName with eCH-011 Extension is specified, it can only be put on a name where use attribute is maiden (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='originalName').empty() or ((family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='originalName').exists() and use='maiden')))
      ch-core-hm-3: ch-ext-ech-11-name can only be put on a family name (descendants().extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name').count()=family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name').count())
      ch-core-hm-4: ch-ext-ech-11-firstname can only be put on a given name (descendants().extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-firstname').count()=given.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-firstname').count())
      18. 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..0*
      TypeContactPoint
      Is Modifierfalse
      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()))
      20. Patient.gender
      Definition

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

      Shortmale | female | other | unknown
      Comments

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

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

      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
      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()))
      22. 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
      24. 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] NoteSeeChoice of Data Typesfor further information about how to use [x]
      Is Modifiertrue because This element is labeled as a modifier because once a patient is marked as deceased, the actions that are appropriate to perform on the patient may be significantly different.
      Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
      Summarytrue
      Requirements

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

      Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
      26. 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()))
      28. 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()))
      30. 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())
      32. 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()))
      34. 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

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

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

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

      ShortLogical id of this artifact
      Comments

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

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

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

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

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

      ShortA set of rules under which this content was created
      Comments

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

      Control0..0
      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 areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
      • value @ url
      • 16. Patient.extension:MothersMaidenName
        Slice NameMothersMaidenName
        Definition

        Mother's maiden (unmarried) name, commonly collected to help verify patient identity.

        ShortMother's Maiden name
        Control0..1
        This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
        TypeExtension(Patient Mother's Maiden Name) (Extension Type: string)
        Is Modifierfalse
        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.modifierExtension
        Definition

        An Extension

        ShortExtension
        Control0..0
        TypeExtension
        Is Modifiertrue because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the resource that contains them
        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())
        20. Patient.identifier
        Definition

        An identifier for this patient.

        ShortAn identifier for this patient
        NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
        Control0..*
        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()))
        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.

        Control0..*
        TypeHumanName
        Is Modifierfalse
        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()))
        SlicingThis element introduces a set of slices on Patient.name. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators:
        • profile @ $this
        • 26. Patient.name:HumanName
          Slice NameHumanName
          Definition

          A human's name with the ability to identify parts and usage.

          ShortName of a human - parts and usage
          Comments

          Names may be changed, or repudiated, or people may have different names in different contexts. Names may be divided into parts of different type that have variable significance depending on context, though the division into parts does not always matter. With personal names, the different parts might or might not be imbued with some implicit meaning; various cultures associate different importance with the name parts and the degree to which systems must care about name parts around the world varies widely.

          Control0..*
          This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
          TypeHumanName(CH EPR FHIR HumanName)
          Is Modifierfalse
          Must Supporttrue
          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()))
          ch-core-hm-1: if officalName with eCH-011 Extension is specified, it can only be put on a name where use attribute is official (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='officialName').empty() or (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='officialName').exists() and use='official'))
          ch-core-hm-2: if orginalName with eCH-011 Extension is specified, it can only be put on a name where use attribute is maiden (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='originalName').empty() or ((family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='originalName').exists() and use='maiden')))
          ch-core-hm-3: ch-ext-ech-11-name can only be put on a family name (descendants().extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name').count()=family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name').count())
          ch-core-hm-4: ch-ext-ech-11-firstname can only be put on a given name (descendants().extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-firstname').count()=given.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-firstname').count())
          ch-epr-fhir-1: For birth name (iso21090-EN-qualifier BR) use slice 'name:BirthName' (family.extension.where(url='http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/iso21090-EN-qualifier' and value='BR').exists()=false)
          28. Patient.name:BirthName
          Slice NameBirthName
          Definition

          A human's name with the ability to identify parts and usage.

          ShortThe birthname of the patient
          Comments

          The birthname is added with the ISO 21090 qualifier https://www.hl7.org/fhir/extension-iso21090-en-qualifier.html BR

          Control0..1
          This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
          TypeHumanName(CH EPR FHIR BirthName)
          Is Modifierfalse
          Must Supporttrue
          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()))
          ch-core-hm-1: if officalName with eCH-011 Extension is specified, it can only be put on a name where use attribute is official (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='officialName').empty() or (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='officialName').exists() and use='official'))
          ch-core-hm-2: if orginalName with eCH-011 Extension is specified, it can only be put on a name where use attribute is maiden (family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='originalName').empty() or ((family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name' and value='originalName').exists() and use='maiden')))
          ch-core-hm-3: ch-ext-ech-11-name can only be put on a family name (descendants().extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name').count()=family.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-name').count())
          ch-core-hm-4: ch-ext-ech-11-firstname can only be put on a given name (descendants().extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-firstname').count()=given.extension.where(url='http://fhir.ch/ig/ch-core/StructureDefinition/ch-ext-ech-11-firstname').count())
          30. 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..0
          TypeContactPoint
          Is Modifierfalse
          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()))
          32. Patient.gender
          Definition

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

          Shortmale | female | other | unknown
          Comments

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

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

          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
          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()))
          34. 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
          36. 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] NoteSeeChoice of Data Typesfor further information about how to use [x]
          Is Modifiertrue because This element is labeled as a modifier because once a patient is marked as deceased, the actions that are appropriate to perform on the patient may be significantly different.
          Primitive ValueThis primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
          Summarytrue
          Requirements

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

          Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
          38. 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()))
          40. 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()))
          42. 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] NoteSeeChoice of Data Typesfor 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()))
          44. 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()))
          46. 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())
          48. 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
          50. 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())
          52. 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())
          54. 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()))
          56. 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()))
          58. 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()))
          60. 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()))
          62. 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()))
          64. 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()))
          66. 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()))
          68. Patient.communication
          Definition

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

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

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

          Control0..*
          TypeBackboneElement
          Is Modifierfalse
          Summaryfalse
          Requirements

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

          Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
          70. 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
          72. 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())
          74. 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())
          76. Patient.communication.language
          Definition

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

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

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

          Control1..1
          BindingThe codes SHOULD be taken from CommonLanguages
          (preferred to http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/languages)

          A human language.

          Additional BindingsPurpose
          AllLanguagesMax Binding
          TypeCodeableConcept
          Is Modifierfalse
          Summaryfalse
          Requirements

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

          Invariantsele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
          78. 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()))
          80. 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()))
          82. 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()))
          84. 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()))
          86. 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
          88. 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())
          90. 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())
          92. 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()))
          94. 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()))