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8.9 Resource Endpoint - Content

Patient Administration icon Work GroupMaturity Level: 2 Trial UseSecurity Category: Business Compartments: No defined compartments

The technical details of an endpoint that can be used for electronic services, such as for web services providing XDS.b, a REST endpoint for another FHIR server, or a s/Mime email address. This may include any security context information.

8.9.1 Scope and Usage

An endpoint describes the technical details of a location that can be connected to for the delivery/retrieval of information. Sufficient information is required to ensure that a connection can be made securely, and appropriate data transmitted as defined by the endpoint owner. This is not a description of details of the current system, as found in CapabilityStatement, but of another (potentially external) system.
These may be locally hosted services, regional services, or national service.

These resources are typically used to identify where to locate endpoint details for:

  • Questionnaires: Where to send information (currently an SDC extension with just the address)
  • ValueSet: Where related Terminology Services can be found (where not local)
  • Subscription: The destination to send the subscribed data (or to pull)
  • Messaging: (currently defined in the Message Header, but only as the address)
  • Referrals: Where to send referral requests
    (linked to the services directory resources - Organization/Location/Practitioner/HealthcareService)
  • Referrals - Templates: Where to locate referral templates (Questionnaires)
    (linked to the services directory resources - Organization/Location/Practitioner/HealthcareService)
  • CarePlans: Where a shared CarePlan can be found
  • Scheduling: Where to lookup to discover schedules/availability information
    (linked to the services directory resources - Organization/Location/Practitioner/HealthcareService)
  • Scheduling: Where to lookup to send appointment requests
    (linked to the services directory resources - Organization/Location/Practitioner/HealthcareService)
  • Patient/Person: Location of Master Patient/Person Indexes
  • Service Provider Directories: Location of related directories (parent/child/federated)
  • DICOM/imaging: Location of where to query, retrieve or store imaging content and metadata (QIDO-RS, WADO-RS, WADO-URI, STOW-RS)

8.9.2 Boundaries and Relationships

8.9.2.1 CapabilityStatement

The endpoint is distinct from a capability statement in that the CapabilityStatement statement describes the entire capability of a system (and in the metadata case, just this system)
Where the endpoint resource describes the technical details for how to connect, and for what purposes (which could be a small sub-set of the system's capabilities, and might not be a FHIR endpoint).

8.9.2.2 ContactPoint

Endpoints are used to facilitate system to system communication, providing the details of the addressing of the system, purpose of use, protocols required/provided, and any other details required to communicate between the systems. (such as configuration parameters, require headers ...) The address value in the endpoint can only be used in the context of the provided details.

E.g. If the endpoint has a URL for an XDS service, using that in a browser by a user is meaningless.

E.g.2 If the endpoint has a US Direct address, using this to send a normal email message will not work, as they are not true email addresses (even though they appear to be)

A ContactPoint contains contact information, such as a phone number, web address that a user can directly interact with, no additional information would be required to use the value. The value is generally used to communicate with an entity directly, not a system.

8.9.3 Background and Context

8.9.3.1 Expected Implementations

  • Any solution where there are distributed FHIR servers deployed and need discovery/configuration
  • Systems advertising connectivity information in a DICOM environment
  • (Refer to the scope and usage section for common uses)

8.9.4 References to this Resource

8.9.5 Resource Content

Structure

NameFlagsCard.TypeDescription & Constraintsdoco
.. Endpoint TU DomainResource The technical details of an endpoint that can be used for electronic services

Elements defined in Ancestors: id, meta, implicitRules, language, text, contained, extension, modifierExtension
... identifier Σ 0..* Identifier Identifies this endpoint across multiple systems

... status ?!Σ 1..1 code active | limited | suspended | error | off | entered-in-error
Binding: Endpoint Status (Required)
... connectionType Σ 1..* CodeableConcept Protocol/Profile/Standard to be used with this endpoint connection
Binding: Endpoint Connection Type (Example)

... description Σ 0..1 string Additional details about the endpoint that could be displayed as further information to identify the description beyond its name
... environmentType Σ 0..* CodeableConcept The type of environment(s) exposed at this endpoint
Binding: Endpoint Environment (Extensible)

... managingOrganization Σ 0..1 Reference(Organization) Organization that manages this endpoint (might not be the organization that exposes the endpoint)
... contact 0..* ContactPoint Contact details for source (e.g. troubleshooting)

... period Σ 0..1 Period Interval the endpoint is expected to be operational
... availability 0..1 Availability Times the endpoint is expected to be available (including exceptions)
... payload 0..* BackboneElement Set of payloads that are provided by this endpoint

.... type Σ 0..* CodeableConcept The type of content that may be used at this endpoint (e.g. XDS Discharge summaries)
Binding: Endpoint Payload Type (Example)

.... mimeType Σ 0..* code Mimetype to send. If not specified, the content could be anything (including no payload, if the connectionType defined this)
Binding: Mime Types (Required)

.... profileCanonical 0..* canonical() The profile that is expected at this endpoint

.... profileUri 0..* uri The non-fhir based profile that is expected at this endpoint

... address Σ 1..1 url The technical base address for connecting to this endpoint
... header 0..* string Usage depends on the channel type


doco Documentation for this format icon

See the Extensions for this resource

 

Additional definitions: Master Definition XML + JSON, XML Schema/Schematron + JSON Schema, ShEx (for Turtle) + see the extensions, the spreadsheet version & the dependency analysis

8.9.5.1 Terminology Bindings

Path ValueSet Type Documentation
Endpoint.status EndpointStatus Required

The status of the endpoint.
Endpoint.connectionType EndpointConnectionType Example

This is an example value set defined by the FHIR project, that could be used to represent possible connection type profile values.
Endpoint.environmentType EndpointEnvironment Extensible

The environment type of the endpoint.
Endpoint.payload.type EndpointPayloadType Example

This is an example value set defined by the FHIR project, that could be used to represent possible payload document types.
Endpoint.payload.mimeType MimeTypes (a valid code from urn:ietf:bcp:13) Required

This value set includes all possible codes from BCP-13 (see http://tools.ietf.org/html/bcp13)

8.9.6 Notes

  • The IHE connection types that were defined in R4 have been moved to IHE defined profiles and vocabulary at https://profiles.ihe.net/ITI/mCSD icon
  • Endpoint.period is meant to represent the general planned period of time when the Endpoint may be used, for example when an endpoint is being commissioned or decommissioned. It is not meant to account for temporary downtimes or other short terms changes of availability.
    For example, if an Endpoint is only available during business hours (9-5), the lack of availability during the night would not be reflected in Endpoint.period.

8.9.7 Search Parameters

Search parameters for this resource. See also the full list of search parameters for this resource, and check the Extensions registry for search parameters on extensions related to this resource. The common parameters also apply. See Searching for more information about searching in REST, messaging, and services.

Name Type Description Expression In Common
connection-type token Protocol/Profile/Standard to be used with this endpoint connection Endpoint.connectionType
identifier token Identifies this endpoint across multiple systems Endpoint.identifier
name string A name that this endpoint can be identified by Endpoint.name
organization reference The organization that is managing the endpoint Endpoint.managingOrganization
(Organization)
payload-type token The type of content that may be used at this endpoint (e.g. XDS Discharge summaries) Endpoint.payload.type
status token The current status of the Endpoint (usually expected to be active) Endpoint.status