Non-patient File Sharing (NPFS)
2.2.1-current - ci-build

Non-patient File Sharing (NPFS), published by IHE IT Infrastructure Technical Committee. This guide is not an authorized publication; it is the continuous build for version 2.2.1-current built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) CI Build. This version is based on the current content of https://github.com/IHE/ITI.NPFS/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions

## Resource Profile: NPFSDocumentReference - Detailed Descriptions

Active as of 2025-04-28

Definitions for the IHE.NPFS.DocumentReference resource profile.

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

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

0. DocumentReference
2. DocumentReference.id
Must Support | true
4. DocumentReference.identifier
Note | This is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Must Support | true
Slicing | This element introduces a set of slices on `DocumentReference.identifier`. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators: value @ use
6. DocumentReference.type
Control | 1..?
8. DocumentReference.category
Control | 1..1
Binding | Unless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from NPFS DocumentReference category (extensible to `https://profiles.ihe.net/ITI/NPFS/ValueSet/DocumentReferenceCategory` )
10. DocumentReference.subject
Control | 0..0
12. DocumentReference.date
Control | 1..?
14. DocumentReference.author
Control | 1..?
16. DocumentReference.relatesTo
Must Support | true
18. DocumentReference.securityLabel
Must Support | true
20. DocumentReference.content
22. DocumentReference.content.attachment
24. DocumentReference.content.attachment.contentType
Control | 1..?
26. DocumentReference.content.attachment.language
Short | Required if known
Must Support | true
28. DocumentReference.content.attachment.data
Control | 0..0
30. DocumentReference.content.attachment.url
Control | 1..?
32. DocumentReference.content.attachment.size
Control | 1..?
34. DocumentReference.content.attachment.hash
Control | 1..?
36. DocumentReference.content.attachment.creation
Must Support | true
38. DocumentReference.content.format
Control | 1..?
Must Support | true
40. DocumentReference.context
42. DocumentReference.context.encounter
Control | 0..0
44. DocumentReference.context.period
Must Support | true
46. DocumentReference.context.facilityType
Must Support | true
48. DocumentReference.context.practiceSetting
Must Support | true
50. DocumentReference.context.sourcePatientInfo
Control | 0..0
52. DocumentReference.context.related
Control | 0..0

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

0. DocumentReference
Definition | A reference to a document of any kind for any purpose. Provides metadata about the document so that the document can be discovered and managed. The scope of a document is any seralized object with a mime-type, so includes formal patient centric documents (CDA), cliical notes, scanned paper, and non-patient specific documents like policy text.
Short | A reference to a document
Comments | Usually, this is used for documents other than those defined by FHIR.
Control | 0..*
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | dom-2: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT contain nested Resources (contained.contained.empty()) dom-3: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL be referred to from elsewhere in the resource or SHALL refer to the containing resource (contained.where((('#'+id in (%resource.descendants().reference | %resource.descendants().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. DocumentReference.id
Definition | The logical id of the resource, as used in the URL for the resource. Once assigned, this value never changes.
Short | Logical 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.
Control | 0..1
Type | id string
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
4. DocumentReference.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.
Short | A 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.
Control | 0..1
Type | uri
Is Modifier | true 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 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()))
6. DocumentReference.modifierExtension
Definition | May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource and that modifies the understanding of the element that contains it and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer is allowed to define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).
Short | Extensions 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Extension
Is Modifier | true because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the resource that contains them
Summary | false
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 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())
8. DocumentReference.identifier
Definition | Other identifiers associated with the document, including version independent identifiers.
Short | Other identifiers for the document
Note | This is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Control | 0..*
Type | Identifier
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
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 `DocumentReference.identifier`. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators: value @ use
10. DocumentReference.status
Definition | The status of this document reference.
Short | current | superseded | entered-in-error
Comments | This is the status of the DocumentReference object, which might be independent from the docStatus element. This element is labeled as a modifier because the status contains the codes that mark the document or reference as not currently valid.
Control | 1..1
Binding | The codes SHALL be taken from DocumentReferenceStatus http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/document-reference-status|4.0.1 (required to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/document-reference-status|4.0.1` ) The status of the document reference.
Type | code
Is Modifier | true because This element is labelled as a modifier because it is a status element that contains status entered-in-error which means that the resource should not be treated as valid
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. DocumentReference.type
Definition | Specifies the particular kind of document referenced (e.g. History and Physical, Discharge Summary, Progress Note). This usually equates to the purpose of making the document referenced.
Short | Kind of document (LOINC if possible)
Comments | Key metadata element describing the document that describes he exact type of document. Helps humans to assess whether the document is of interest when viewing a list of documents.
Control | 10..1
Binding | The codes SHOULD be taken from DocumentTypeValueSet http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/c80-doc-typecodes (preferred to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/c80-doc-typecodes` ) Precise type of clinical document.
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
14. DocumentReference.category
Definition | A categorization for the type of document referenced - helps for indexing and searching. This may be implied by or derived from the code specified in the DocumentReference.type.
Short | Categorization of document
Comments | Key metadata element describing the the category or classification of the document. This is a broader perspective that groups similar documents based on how they would be used. This is a primary key used in searching.
Control | 10..1*
Binding | Unless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from For example codes, see NPFS DocumentReference category http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/document-classcodes (extensible to `https://profiles.ihe.net/ITI/NPFS/ValueSet/DocumentReferenceCategory` )
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Alternate Names | claxs
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
16. DocumentReference.subject
Definition | Who or what the document is about. The document can be about a person, (patient or healthcare practitioner), a device (e.g. a machine) or even a group of subjects (such as a document about a herd of farm animals, or a set of patients that share a common exposure).
Short | Who/what is the subject of the document
Control | 0..01
Type | Reference(Patient, Practitioner, Group, Device)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
18. DocumentReference.date
Definition | When the document reference was created.
Short | When this document reference was created
Comments | Referencing/indexing time is used for tracking, organizing versions and searching.
Control | 10..1
Type | instant
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Alternate Names | indexed
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
20. DocumentReference.author
Definition | Identifies who is responsible for adding the information to the document.
Short | Who and/or what authored the document
Comments | Not necessarily who did the actual data entry (i.e. typist) or who was the source (informant).
Control | 10..*
Type | Reference(Practitioner, PractitionerRole, Organization, Device, Patient, RelatedPerson)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
22. DocumentReference.relatesTo
Definition | Relationships that this document has with other document references that already exist.
Short | Relationships to other documents
Comments | This element is labeled as a modifier because documents that append to other documents are incomplete on their own.
Control | 0..*
Type | BackboneElement
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
24. DocumentReference.relatesTo.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).
Short | Extensions 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Extension
Is Modifier | true because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summary | true
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 Names | extensions, user content, modifiers
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())
26. DocumentReference.relatesTo.code
Definition | The type of relationship that this document has with anther document.
Short | replaces | transforms | signs | appends
Comments | If this document appends another document, then the document cannot be fully understood without also accessing the referenced document.
Control | 1..1
Binding | The codes SHALL be taken from DocumentRelationshipType http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/document-relationship-type|4.0.1 (required to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/document-relationship-type|4.0.1` ) The type of relationship between documents.
Type | code
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()))
28. DocumentReference.relatesTo.target
Definition | The target document of this relationship.
Short | Target of the relationship
Control | 1..1
Type | Reference(DocumentReference)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
30. DocumentReference.securityLabel
Definition | A set of Security-Tag codes specifying the level of privacy/security of the Document. Note that DocumentReference.meta.security contains the security labels of the "reference" to the document, while DocumentReference.securityLabel contains a snapshot of the security labels on the document the reference refers to.
Short | Document security-tags
Comments | The confidentiality codes can carry multiple vocabulary items. HL7 has developed an understanding of security and privacy tags that might be desirable in a Document Sharing environment, called HL7 Healthcare Privacy and Security Classification System (HCS). The following specification is recommended but not mandated, as the vocabulary bindings are an administrative domain responsibility. The use of this method is up to the policy domain such as the XDS Affinity Domain or other Trust Domain where all parties including sender and recipients are trusted to appropriately tag and enforce. In the HL7 Healthcare Privacy and Security Classification (HCS) there are code systems specific to Confidentiality, Sensitivity, Integrity, and Handling Caveats. Some values would come from a local vocabulary as they are related to workflow roles and special projects.
Control | 0..*
Binding | Unless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from All Security Labels http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/security-labels (extensible to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/security-labels` ) Security Labels from the Healthcare Privacy and Security Classification System.
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Requirements | Use of the Health Care Privacy/Security Classification (HCS) system of security-tag use is recommended.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
32. DocumentReference.content
Definition | The document and format referenced. There may be multiple content element repetitions, each with a different format.
Short | Document referenced
Control | 1..*
Type | BackboneElement
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
34. DocumentReference.content.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).
Short | Extensions 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Extension
Is Modifier | true because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summary | true
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 Names | extensions, user content, modifiers
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())
36. DocumentReference.content.attachment
Definition | The document or URL of the document along with critical metadata to prove content has integrity.
Short | Where to access the document
Control | 1..1
Type | Attachment
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
38. DocumentReference.content.attachment.contentType
Definition | Identifies the type of the data in the attachment and allows a method to be chosen to interpret or render the data. Includes mime type parameters such as charset where appropriate.
Short | Mime type of the content, with charset etc.
Control | 10..1
Binding | The codes SHALL be taken from Mime Types http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/mimetypes|4.0.1 (required to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/mimetypes|4.0.1` ) The mime type of an attachment. Any valid mime type is allowed.
Type | code
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | Processors of the data need to be able to know how to interpret the data.
Example | <br/><b>General</b>:text/plain; charset=UTF-8, image/png
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
40. DocumentReference.content.attachment.language
Definition | The human language of the content. The value can be any valid value according to BCP 47.
Short | Required if knownHuman language of the content (BCP-47)
Control | 0..1
Binding | The codes SHOULD be taken from CommonLanguages http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/languages (preferred to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/languages` ) A human language.
Additional Bindings | Purpose
AllLanguages | Max Binding
Type | code
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Requirements | Users need to be able to choose between the languages in a set of attachments.
Example | <br/><b>General</b>:en-AU
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
42. DocumentReference.content.attachment.data
Definition | The actual data of the attachment - a sequence of bytes, base64 encoded.
Short | Data inline, base64ed
Comments | The base64-encoded data SHALL be expressed in the same character set as the base resource XML or JSON.
Control | 0..01
Type | base64Binary
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | false
Requirements | The data needs to able to be transmitted inline.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
44. DocumentReference.content.attachment.url
Definition | A location where the data can be accessed.
Short | Uri where the data can be found
Comments | If both data and url are provided, the url SHALL point to the same content as the data contains. Urls may be relative references or may reference transient locations such as a wrapping envelope using cid: though this has ramifications for using signatures. Relative URLs are interpreted relative to the service url, like a resource reference, rather than relative to the resource itself. If a URL is provided, it SHALL resolve to actual data.
Control | 10..1
Type | url
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | The data needs to be transmitted by reference.
Example | <br/><b>General</b>:http://www.acme.com/logo-small.png
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
46. DocumentReference.content.attachment.size
Definition | The number of bytes of data that make up this attachment (before base64 encoding, if that is done).
Short | Number of bytes of content (if url provided)
Comments | The number of bytes is redundant if the data is provided as a base64binary, but is useful if the data is provided as a url reference.
Control | 10..1
Type | unsignedInt
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | Representing the size allows applications to determine whether they should fetch the content automatically in advance, or refuse to fetch it at all.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
48. DocumentReference.content.attachment.hash
Definition | The calculated hash of the data using SHA-1. Represented using base64.
Short | Hash of the data (sha-1, base64ed)
Comments | The hash is calculated on the data prior to base64 encoding, if the data is based64 encoded. The hash is not intended to support digital signatures. Where protection against malicious threats a digital signature should be considered, see Provenance.signature for mechanism to protect a resource with a digital signature. The hash is calculated on the data prior to base64 encoding, if the data is based64 encoded. The hash is not intended to support digital signatures. Where protection against malicious threats a digital signature should be considered, see Provenance.signature for mechanism to protect a resource with a digital signature.
Control | 10..1
Type | base64Binary
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | Included so that applications can verify that the contents of a location have not changed due to technical failures (e.g., storage rot, transport glitch, incorrect version).
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
50. DocumentReference.content.attachment.creation
Definition | The date that the attachment was first created.
Short | Date attachment was first created
Control | 0..1
Type | dateTime
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Requirements | This is often tracked as an integrity issue for use of the attachment.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
52. DocumentReference.content.format
Definition | An identifier of the document encoding, structure, and template that the document conforms to beyond the base format indicated in the mimeType.
Short | Format/content rules for the document
Comments | Note that while IHE mostly issues URNs for format types, not all documents can be identified by a URI.
Control | 10..1
Binding | The codes SHOULD be taken from DocumentReferenceFormatCodeSet http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/formatcodes (preferred to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/formatcodes` ) Document Format Codes.
Type | Coding
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
54. DocumentReference.context
Definition | The clinical context in which the document was prepared.
Short | Clinical context of document
Comments | These values are primarily added to help with searching for interesting/relevant documents.
Control | 0..1
Type | BackboneElement
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
56. DocumentReference.context.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).
Short | Extensions 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Extension
Is Modifier | true because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summary | true
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 Names | extensions, user content, modifiers
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())
58. DocumentReference.context.encounter
Definition | Describes the clinical encounter or type of care that the document content is associated with.
Short | Context of the document content
Control | 0..0*
Type | Reference(Encounter, EpisodeOfCare)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
60. DocumentReference.context.period
Definition | The time period over which the service that is described by the document was provided.
Short | Time of service that is being documented
Control | 0..1
Type | Period
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
62. DocumentReference.context.facilityType
Definition | The kind of facility where the patient was seen.
Short | Kind of facility where patient was seen
Control | 0..1
Binding | For example codes, see FacilityTypeCodeValueSet http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/c80-facilitycodes (example to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/c80-facilitycodes` ) XDS Facility Type.
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
64. DocumentReference.context.practiceSetting
Definition | This property may convey specifics about the practice setting where the content was created, often reflecting the clinical specialty.
Short | Additional details about where the content was created (e.g. clinical specialty)
Comments | This element should be based on a coarse classification system for the class of specialty practice. Recommend the use of the classification system for Practice Setting, such as that described by the Subject Matter Domain in LOINC.
Control | 0..1
Binding | For example codes, see PracticeSettingCodeValueSet http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/c80-practice-codes (example to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/c80-practice-codes` ) Additional details about where the content was created (e.g. clinical specialty).
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | false
Requirements | This is an important piece of metadata that providers often rely upon to quickly sort and/or filter out to find specific content.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
66. DocumentReference.context.sourcePatientInfo
Definition | The Patient Information as known when the document was published. May be a reference to a version specific, or contained.
Short | Patient demographics from source
Control | 0..01
Type | Reference(Patient)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count()))
68. DocumentReference.context.related
Definition | Related identifiers or resources associated with the DocumentReference.
Short | Related identifiers or resources
Comments | May be identifiers or resources that caused the DocumentReference or referenced Document to be created.
Control | 0..0*
Type | Reference(Resource)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
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 found here

0. DocumentReference
Definition | A reference to a document of any kind for any purpose. Provides metadata about the document so that the document can be discovered and managed. The scope of a document is any seralized object with a mime-type, so includes formal patient centric documents (CDA), cliical notes, scanned paper, and non-patient specific documents like policy text.
Short | A reference to a document
Comments | Usually, this is used for documents other than those defined by FHIR.
Control | 0..*
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | dom-2: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL NOT contain nested Resources (`contained.contained.empty()`) dom-3: If the resource is contained in another resource, it SHALL be referred to from elsewhere in the resource or SHALL refer to the containing resource (`contained.where((('#'+id in (%resource.descendants().reference | %resource.descendants().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. DocumentReference.id
Definition | The logical id of the resource, as used in the URL for the resource. Once assigned, this value never changes.
Short | Logical 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.
Control | 0..1
Type | id
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
4. DocumentReference.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.
Short | Metadata about the resource
Control | 0..1
Type | Meta
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
6. DocumentReference.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.
Short | A 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.
Control | 0..1
Type | uri
Is Modifier | true 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 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. DocumentReference.language
Definition | The base language in which the resource is written.
Short | Language 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).
Control | 0..1
Binding | The codes SHOULD be taken from CommonLanguages (preferred to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/languages` ) A human language.
Additional Bindings | Purpose
AllLanguages | Max Binding
Type | code
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
10. DocumentReference.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.
Short | Text 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.
Control | 0..1
Type | Narrative
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Alternate Names | narrative, html, xhtml, display
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
12. DocumentReference.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.
Short | Contained, 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Resource
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Alternate Names | inline resources, anonymous resources, contained resources
14. DocumentReference.extension
Definition | May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource. To make the use of extensions safe and 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.
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()`)
16. DocumentReference.modifierExtension
Definition | May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource and that modifies the understanding of the element that contains it and/or the understanding of the containing element's descendants. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. To make the use of extensions safe and manageable, there is a strict set of governance applied to the definition and use of extensions. Though any implementer is allowed to define an extension, there is a set of requirements that SHALL be met as part of the definition of the extension. Applications processing a resource are required to check for modifier extensions. Modifier extensions SHALL NOT change the meaning of any elements on Resource or DomainResource (including cannot change the meaning of modifierExtension itself).
Short | Extensions 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Extension
Is Modifier | true because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the resource that contains them
Summary | false
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 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()`)
18. DocumentReference.masterIdentifier
Definition | Document identifier as assigned by the source of the document. This identifier is specific to this version of the document. This unique identifier may be used elsewhere to identify this version of the document.
Short | Master Version Specific Identifier
Comments | CDA Document Id extension and root.
Control | 0..1
Type | Identifier
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Requirements | The structure and format of this Id shall be consistent with the specification corresponding to the formatCode attribute. (e.g. for a DICOM standard document a 64-character numeric UID, for an HL7 CDA format a serialization of the CDA Document Id extension and root in the form "oid^extension", where OID is a 64 digits max, and the Id is a 16 UTF-8 char max. If the OID is coded without the extension then the '^' character shall not be included.).
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
20. DocumentReference.identifier
Definition | Other identifiers associated with the document, including version independent identifiers.
Short | Other identifiers for the document
Note | This is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Control | 0..*
Type | Identifier
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
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 `DocumentReference.identifier`. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators: value @ use
22. DocumentReference.status
Definition | The status of this document reference.
Short | current | superseded | entered-in-error
Comments | This is the status of the DocumentReference object, which might be independent from the docStatus element. This element is labeled as a modifier because the status contains the codes that mark the document or reference as not currently valid.
Control | 1..1
Binding | The codes SHALL be taken from DocumentReferenceStatus (required to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/document-reference-status|4.0.1` ) The status of the document reference.
Type | code
Is Modifier | true because This element is labelled as a modifier because it is a status element that contains status entered-in-error which means that the resource should not be treated as valid
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())`)
24. DocumentReference.docStatus
Definition | The status of the underlying document.
Short | preliminary | final | amended | entered-in-error
Comments | The document that is pointed to might be in various lifecycle states.
Control | 0..1
Binding | The codes SHALL be taken from CompositionStatus (required to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/composition-status|4.0.1` ) Status of the underlying document.
Type | code
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())`)
26. DocumentReference.type
Definition | Specifies the particular kind of document referenced (e.g. History and Physical, Discharge Summary, Progress Note). This usually equates to the purpose of making the document referenced.
Short | Kind of document (LOINC if possible)
Comments | Key metadata element describing the document that describes he exact type of document. Helps humans to assess whether the document is of interest when viewing a list of documents.
Control | 1..1
Binding | The codes SHOULD be taken from DocumentTypeValueSet (preferred to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/c80-doc-typecodes` ) Precise type of clinical document.
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
28. DocumentReference.category
Definition | A categorization for the type of document referenced - helps for indexing and searching. This may be implied by or derived from the code specified in the DocumentReference.type.
Short | Categorization of document
Comments | Key metadata element describing the the category or classification of the document. This is a broader perspective that groups similar documents based on how they would be used. This is a primary key used in searching.
Control | 1..1
Binding | Unless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from NPFS DocumentReference category (extensible to `https://profiles.ihe.net/ITI/NPFS/ValueSet/DocumentReferenceCategory` )
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Alternate Names | claxs
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
30. DocumentReference.subject
Definition | Who or what the document is about. The document can be about a person, (patient or healthcare practitioner), a device (e.g. a machine) or even a group of subjects (such as a document about a herd of farm animals, or a set of patients that share a common exposure).
Short | Who/what is the subject of the document
Control | 0..0
Type | Reference(Patient, Practitioner, Group, Device)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
32. DocumentReference.date
Definition | When the document reference was created.
Short | When this document reference was created
Comments | Referencing/indexing time is used for tracking, organizing versions and searching.
Control | 1..1
Type | instant
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Alternate Names | indexed
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
34. DocumentReference.author
Definition | Identifies who is responsible for adding the information to the document.
Short | Who and/or what authored the document
Comments | Not necessarily who did the actual data entry (i.e. typist) or who was the source (informant).
Control | 1..*
Type | Reference(Practitioner, PractitionerRole, Organization, Device, Patient, RelatedPerson)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
36. DocumentReference.authenticator
Definition | Which person or organization authenticates that this document is valid.
Short | Who/what authenticated the document
Comments | Represents a participant within the author institution who has legally authenticated or attested the document. Legal authentication implies that a document has been signed manually or electronically by the legal Authenticator.
Control | 0..1
Type | Reference(Practitioner, PractitionerRole, Organization)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
38. DocumentReference.custodian
Definition | Identifies the organization or group who is responsible for ongoing maintenance of and access to the document.
Short | Organization which maintains the document
Comments | Identifies the logical organization (software system, vendor, or department) to go to find the current version, where to report issues, etc. This is different from the physical location (URL, disk drive, or server) of the document, which is the technical location of the document, which host may be delegated to the management of some other organization.
Control | 0..1
Type | Reference(Organization)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
40. DocumentReference.relatesTo
Definition | Relationships that this document has with other document references that already exist.
Short | Relationships to other documents
Comments | This element is labeled as a modifier because documents that append to other documents are incomplete on their own.
Control | 0..*
Type | BackboneElement
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
42. DocumentReference.relatesTo.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
Type | string
Is Modifier | false
XML Format | In the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summary | false
44. DocumentReference.relatesTo.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.
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()`)
46. DocumentReference.relatesTo.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).
Short | Extensions 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Extension
Is Modifier | true because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summary | true
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 Names | extensions, user content, modifiers
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()`)
48. DocumentReference.relatesTo.code
Definition | The type of relationship that this document has with anther document.
Short | replaces | transforms | signs | appends
Comments | If this document appends another document, then the document cannot be fully understood without also accessing the referenced document.
Control | 1..1
Binding | The codes SHALL be taken from DocumentRelationshipType (required to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/document-relationship-type|4.0.1` ) The type of relationship between documents.
Type | code
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())`)
50. DocumentReference.relatesTo.target
Definition | The target document of this relationship.
Short | Target of the relationship
Control | 1..1
Type | Reference(DocumentReference)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
52. DocumentReference.description
Definition | Human-readable description of the source document.
Short | Human-readable description
Comments | What the document is about, a terse summary of the document.
Control | 0..1
Type | string
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | Helps humans to assess whether the document is of interest.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
54. DocumentReference.securityLabel
Definition | A set of Security-Tag codes specifying the level of privacy/security of the Document. Note that DocumentReference.meta.security contains the security labels of the "reference" to the document, while DocumentReference.securityLabel contains a snapshot of the security labels on the document the reference refers to.
Short | Document security-tags
Comments | The confidentiality codes can carry multiple vocabulary items. HL7 has developed an understanding of security and privacy tags that might be desirable in a Document Sharing environment, called HL7 Healthcare Privacy and Security Classification System (HCS). The following specification is recommended but not mandated, as the vocabulary bindings are an administrative domain responsibility. The use of this method is up to the policy domain such as the XDS Affinity Domain or other Trust Domain where all parties including sender and recipients are trusted to appropriately tag and enforce. In the HL7 Healthcare Privacy and Security Classification (HCS) there are code systems specific to Confidentiality, Sensitivity, Integrity, and Handling Caveats. Some values would come from a local vocabulary as they are related to workflow roles and special projects.
Control | 0..*
Binding | Unless not suitable, these codes SHALL be taken from All Security Labels (extensible to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/security-labels` ) Security Labels from the Healthcare Privacy and Security Classification System.
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Requirements | Use of the Health Care Privacy/Security Classification (HCS) system of security-tag use is recommended.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
56. DocumentReference.content
Definition | The document and format referenced. There may be multiple content element repetitions, each with a different format.
Short | Document referenced
Control | 1..*
Type | BackboneElement
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
58. DocumentReference.content.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
Type | string
Is Modifier | false
XML Format | In the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summary | false
60. DocumentReference.content.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.
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()`)
62. DocumentReference.content.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).
Short | Extensions 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Extension
Is Modifier | true because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summary | true
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 Names | extensions, user content, modifiers
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()`)
64. DocumentReference.content.attachment
Definition | The document or URL of the document along with critical metadata to prove content has integrity.
Short | Where to access the document
Control | 1..1
Type | Attachment
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
66. DocumentReference.content.attachment.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
Type | string
Is Modifier | false
XML Format | In the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summary | false
68. DocumentReference.content.attachment.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.
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 `DocumentReference.content.attachment.extension`. The slices areUnordered and Open, and can be differentiated using the following discriminators: value @ url
70. DocumentReference.content.attachment.contentType
Definition | Identifies the type of the data in the attachment and allows a method to be chosen to interpret or render the data. Includes mime type parameters such as charset where appropriate.
Short | Mime type of the content, with charset etc.
Control | 1..1
Binding | The codes SHALL be taken from Mime Types (required to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/mimetypes|4.0.1` ) The mime type of an attachment. Any valid mime type is allowed.
Type | code
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | Processors of the data need to be able to know how to interpret the data.
Example | <br/><b>General</b>:text/plain; charset=UTF-8, image/png
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
72. DocumentReference.content.attachment.language
Definition | The human language of the content. The value can be any valid value according to BCP 47.
Short | Required if known
Control | 0..1
Binding | The codes SHOULD be taken from CommonLanguages (preferred to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/languages` ) A human language.
Additional Bindings | Purpose
AllLanguages | Max Binding
Type | code
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Requirements | Users need to be able to choose between the languages in a set of attachments.
Example | <br/><b>General</b>:en-AU
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
74. DocumentReference.content.attachment.data
Definition | The actual data of the attachment - a sequence of bytes, base64 encoded.
Short | Data inline, base64ed
Comments | The base64-encoded data SHALL be expressed in the same character set as the base resource XML or JSON.
Control | 0..0
Type | base64Binary
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | false
Requirements | The data needs to able to be transmitted inline.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
76. DocumentReference.content.attachment.url
Definition | A location where the data can be accessed.
Short | Uri where the data can be found
Comments | If both data and url are provided, the url SHALL point to the same content as the data contains. Urls may be relative references or may reference transient locations such as a wrapping envelope using cid: though this has ramifications for using signatures. Relative URLs are interpreted relative to the service url, like a resource reference, rather than relative to the resource itself. If a URL is provided, it SHALL resolve to actual data.
Control | 1..1
Type | url
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | The data needs to be transmitted by reference.
Example | <br/><b>General</b>:http://www.acme.com/logo-small.png
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
78. DocumentReference.content.attachment.size
Definition | The number of bytes of data that make up this attachment (before base64 encoding, if that is done).
Short | Number of bytes of content (if url provided)
Comments | The number of bytes is redundant if the data is provided as a base64binary, but is useful if the data is provided as a url reference.
Control | 1..1
Type | unsignedInt
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | Representing the size allows applications to determine whether they should fetch the content automatically in advance, or refuse to fetch it at all.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
80. DocumentReference.content.attachment.hash
Definition | The calculated hash of the data using SHA-1. Represented using base64.
Short | Hash of the data (sha-1, base64ed)
Comments | The hash is calculated on the data prior to base64 encoding, if the data is based64 encoded. The hash is not intended to support digital signatures. Where protection against malicious threats a digital signature should be considered, see Provenance.signature for mechanism to protect a resource with a digital signature.
Control | 1..1
Type | base64Binary
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | Included so that applications can verify that the contents of a location have not changed due to technical failures (e.g., storage rot, transport glitch, incorrect version).
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
82. DocumentReference.content.attachment.title
Definition | A label or set of text to display in place of the data.
Short | Label to display in place of the data
Control | 0..1
Type | string
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Summary | true
Requirements | Applications need a label to display to a human user in place of the actual data if the data cannot be rendered or perceived by the viewer.
Example | <br/><b>General</b>:Official Corporate Logo
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
84. DocumentReference.content.attachment.creation
Definition | The date that the attachment was first created.
Short | Date attachment was first created
Control | 0..1
Type | dateTime
Is Modifier | false
Primitive Value | This primitive element may be present, or absent, or replaced by an extension
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Requirements | This is often tracked as an integrity issue for use of the attachment.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
86. DocumentReference.content.format
Definition | An identifier of the document encoding, structure, and template that the document conforms to beyond the base format indicated in the mimeType.
Short | Format/content rules for the document
Comments | Note that while IHE mostly issues URNs for format types, not all documents can be identified by a URI.
Control | 1..1
Binding | The codes SHOULD be taken from DocumentReferenceFormatCodeSet (preferred to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/formatcodes` ) Document Format Codes.
Type | Coding
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
88. DocumentReference.context
Definition | The clinical context in which the document was prepared.
Short | Clinical context of document
Comments | These values are primarily added to help with searching for interesting/relevant documents.
Control | 0..1
Type | BackboneElement
Is Modifier | false
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
90. DocumentReference.context.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
Type | string
Is Modifier | false
XML Format | In the XML format, this property is represented as an attribute.
Summary | false
92. DocumentReference.context.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.
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()`)
94. DocumentReference.context.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).
Short | Extensions 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.
Control | 0..*
Type | Extension
Is Modifier | true because Modifier extensions are expected to modify the meaning or interpretation of the element that contains them
Summary | true
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 Names | extensions, user content, modifiers
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()`)
96. DocumentReference.context.encounter
Definition | Describes the clinical encounter or type of care that the document content is associated with.
Short | Context of the document content
Control | 0..0
Type | Reference(Encounter, EpisodeOfCare)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
98. DocumentReference.context.event
Definition | This list of codes represents the main clinical acts, such as a colonoscopy or an appendectomy, being documented. In some cases, the event is inherent in the type Code, such as a "History and Physical Report" in which the procedure being documented is necessarily a "History and Physical" act.
Short | Main clinical acts documented
Comments | An event can further specialize the act inherent in the type, such as where it is simply "Procedure Report" and the procedure was a "colonoscopy". If one or more event codes are included, they shall not conflict with the values inherent in the class or type elements as such a conflict would create an ambiguous situation.
Control | 0..*
Binding | For example codes, see v3 Code System ActCode (example to `http://terminology.hl7.org/ValueSet/v3-ActCode` ) This list of codes represents the main clinical acts being documented.
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
100. DocumentReference.context.period
Definition | The time period over which the service that is described by the document was provided.
Short | Time of service that is being documented
Control | 0..1
Type | Period
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | true
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
102. DocumentReference.context.facilityType
Definition | The kind of facility where the patient was seen.
Short | Kind of facility where patient was seen
Control | 0..1
Binding | For example codes, see FacilityTypeCodeValueSet (example to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/c80-facilitycodes` ) XDS Facility Type.
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
104. DocumentReference.context.practiceSetting
Definition | This property may convey specifics about the practice setting where the content was created, often reflecting the clinical specialty.
Short | Additional details about where the content was created (e.g. clinical specialty)
Comments | This element should be based on a coarse classification system for the class of specialty practice. Recommend the use of the classification system for Practice Setting, such as that described by the Subject Matter Domain in LOINC.
Control | 0..1
Binding | For example codes, see PracticeSettingCodeValueSet (example to `http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/c80-practice-codes` ) Additional details about where the content was created (e.g. clinical specialty).
Type | CodeableConcept
Is Modifier | false
Must Support | true
Summary | false
Requirements | This is an important piece of metadata that providers often rely upon to quickly sort and/or filter out to find specific content.
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
106. DocumentReference.context.sourcePatientInfo
Definition | The Patient Information as known when the document was published. May be a reference to a version specific, or contained.
Short | Patient demographics from source
Control | 0..0
Type | Reference(Patient)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)
108. DocumentReference.context.related
Definition | Related identifiers or resources associated with the DocumentReference.
Short | Related identifiers or resources
Comments | May be identifiers or resources that caused the DocumentReference or referenced Document to be created.
Control | 0..0
Type | Reference(Resource)
Is Modifier | false
Summary | false
Invariants | ele-1: All FHIR elements must have a @value or children (`hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())`)