SGHI FHIR Profile Implementation Guide
0.1.0 - ci-build

SGHI FHIR Profile Implementation Guide, published by Kathurima Kimathi. This guide is not an authorized publication; it is the continuous build for version 0.1.0 built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) CI Build. This version is based on the current content of https://github.com/savannahghi/sil_fhir_profile_ig/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions

## Data Type Profile: SGHIAnnotation - Detailed Descriptions

Draft as of 2026-05-21

Definitions for the annotation data type profile.

- Key Elements Table
- Differential Elements Table
- Snapshot Elements Table

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

0. Annotation
Definition | A text note which also contains information about who made the statement and when.
Short | Text node with attribution
Comments | For systems that do not have structured annotations, they can simply communicate a single annotation with no author or time. This element may need to be included in narrative because of the potential for modifying information. Annotations SHOULD NOT be used to communicate "modifying" information that could be computable. (This is a SHOULD because enforcing user behavior is nearly impossible).
Control | 0..*
Is Modifier | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
2. Annotation.author[x]
Definition | The individual responsible for making the annotation.
Short | Individual responsible for the annotation
Comments | Organization is used when there's no need for specific attribution as to who made the comment.
Control | 0..1
Type | Choice of: Reference(Practitioner, PractitionerRole, Patient, RelatedPerson, Organization), string
[x] Note | SeeChoice of Data Typesfor further information about how to use [x]
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
Slicing | This element introduces a set of slices on `Annotation.author[x]`. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators: type @ $this
4. Annotation.author[x]:authorReference
Slice Name | authorReference
Definition | The individual responsible for making the annotation.
Short | Individual responsible for the annotation
Comments | Organization is used when there's no need for specific attribution as to who made the comment.
Control | 0..1
Type | Reference(SGHI Reference)(Practitioner, PractitionerRole, Practitioner, PractitionerRole, Patient, RelatedPerson, Organization), string
[x] Note | SeeChoice of Data Typesfor further information about how to use [x]
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
6. Annotation.time
Definition | Indicates when this particular annotation was made.
Short | When the annotation was made
Control | 10..1
Type | dateTime
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
8. Annotation.text
Definition | The text of the annotation in markdown format.
Short | The annotation - text content (as markdown)
Control | 1..1
Type | markdown
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))

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

0. Annotation
2. Annotation.author[x]
[x] Note | SeeChoice of Data Typesfor further information about how to use [x]
Slicing | This element introduces a set of slices on `Annotation.author[x]`. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators: type @ $this
4. Annotation.author[x]:authorReference
Slice Name | authorReference
Control | 0..1
Type | Reference(SGHI Reference)(Practitioner, PractitionerRole)
[x] Note | SeeChoice of Data Typesfor further information about how to use [x]
6. Annotation.time
Control | 1..?

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

0. Annotation
Definition | A text note which also contains information about who made the statement and when.
Short | Text node with attribution
Comments | For systems that do not have structured annotations, they can simply communicate a single annotation with no author or time. This element may need to be included in narrative because of the potential for modifying information. Annotations SHOULD NOT be used to communicate "modifying" information that could be computable. (This is a SHOULD because enforcing user behavior is nearly impossible).
Control | 0..*
Is Modifier | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
2. Annotation.id
Definition | Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
Short | Unique id for inter-element referencing
Control | 0..1 This element is affected by the following invariants: ele-1
Type | id
Is Modifier | false
XML Format | In the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summary | false
4. Annotation.extension
Definition | May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. To make the use of extensions safe and managable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer can define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension.
Short | Additional 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Extension
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Alternate Names | extensions, user content
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`) ext-1: Must have either extensions or value[x], not both (`extension.exists() != value.exists()`)
Slicing | This element introduces a set of slices on `Annotation.extension`. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators: value @ url
6. Annotation.author[x]
Definition | The individual responsible for making the annotation.
Short | Individual responsible for the annotation
Comments | Organization is used when there's no need for specific attribution as to who made the comment.
Control | 0..1
Type | Choice of: Reference(Practitioner, PractitionerRole, Patient, RelatedPerson, Organization), string
[x] Note | SeeChoice of Data Typesfor further information about how to use [x]
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
Slicing | This element introduces a set of slices on `Annotation.author[x]`. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators: type @ $this
8. Annotation.author[x]:authorReference
Slice Name | authorReference
Definition | The individual responsible for making the annotation.
Short | Individual responsible for the annotation
Comments | Organization is used when there's no need for specific attribution as to who made the comment.
Control | 0..1
Type | Reference(SGHI Reference)(Practitioner, PractitionerRole)
[x] Note | SeeChoice of Data Typesfor further information about how to use [x]
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
10. Annotation.time
Definition | Indicates when this particular annotation was made.
Short | When the annotation was made
Control | 1..1
Type | dateTime
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
12. Annotation.text
Definition | The text of the annotation in markdown format.
Short | The annotation - text content (as markdown)
Control | 1..1
Type | markdown
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)