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

## Non-patient File Sharing Home

Official URL: https://profiles.ihe.net/ITI/NPFS/ImplementationGuide/ihe.iti.npfs | Version: 2.2.1-current
Active as of 2025-04-28 | Computable Name: IHE_ITI_NPFS

This profile defines how to enable the sharing of non-patient files.

Those files can be created, consumed and updated by many different systems involved in a wide variety of data sharing workflows (clinical workflow definition, domain policies sharing, stylesheets management, etc.). This profile identifies three actors: File Manager, File Consumer, and File Source. To fulfill use-case requirements, this profile defines four new transactions (Submit File [ITI-87], Search File [ITI-88], and Update DocumentReference [ITI-89]) and Retrieve File [ITI-109].

There are IHE profiles that define the content of files that are not patient-related; this profile does not require that the actors be able to process the contents of the files being shared. Understanding this profile does not require the knowledge of the files shared.

The NPFS Profile specifies transactions for the sharing of files. Any file type can be shared using this profile; however, specific guidance is given for three types of files:

- Workflow Definitions: files which define the processing rules for a specific clinical/administrative workflow (see ITI TF-1: 30.4.1.1 “XDW Workflow Architecture” for additional information).

- Privacy Domain Policies: files which describe a specific privacy policy that applies to, or may be agreed by the patient (see ITI TF-1: 19.2 “Creating Patient Privacy Policies” for further details).

- Stylesheets: structured documents used by user-agents (e.g., Web Browsers) to render the content of an XML document.

Local policies may extend the types of files shared using NPFS and that can be classified using the metadata model described in this profile.

Significant Changes, Open and Closed Issues

### Organization of This Guide

This guide is organized into the following sections:

- Volume 1:
  - Introduction
  - Actors, Transactions, and Content
  - Actor Options
  - Actor Required Groupings
  - Overview
  - Security Considerations
  - Cross Profile Considerations
- Volume 2: Transaction Detail
  - Submit File [ITI-87]
  - Search File [ITI-88]
  - Update DocumentReference [ITI-89]
  - Retrieve File [ITI-109]
- Other
  - Changes to Other IHE Specifications
  - Download and Analysis
  - Test Plan

See also the Table of Contents and the index of Artifacts defined as part of this implementation guide.

### Conformance Expectations

IHE uses the normative words: Shall, Should, and May according to standards conventions.

#### Must Support

The use of `mustSupport` in StructureDefinition profiles equivalent to the IHE use of R2 as defined in Appendix Z.

mustSupport of true - only has a meaning on items that are minimal cardinality of zero (0), and applies only to the source actor populating the data. The source actor shall populate the elements marked with MustSupport, if the concept is supported by the actor, a value exists, and security and consent rules permit. The consuming actors should handle these elements being populated or being absent/empty. Note that sometimes mustSupport will appear on elements with a minimal cardinality greater than zero (0), this is due to inheritance from a less constrained profile.