HL7 Europe Hospital Discharge Report, published by HL7 Europe. This guide is not an authorized publication; it is the continuous build for version 0.0.1-ci built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) CI Build. This version is based on the current content of https://github.com/hl7-eu/hdr/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions
To address the Hospital Discharge Report Structure Challenge, we have opted for a flexible approach rather than imposing a rigid format.
The "flat structure" documented in the guide should be understood as a sort of "section library" that can be reused in both flat and nested structures. This approach allows implementers to organize the report according to local or institutional needs while maintaining a standardized content model.
In practice:
By offering this level of flexibility, the implementation guide supports diverse healthcare environments while promoting consistency in content and interoperability.
In order to support the different maturity levels foreseen for the European EHR eXchange format (structured, text-only, unstructured), this version of the guide does not impose the mandatory presence of entries in the HDR sections.
However, the presence of entries in the HDR sections is generally recommended to ensure a more structured and interoperable document.
This recommendation is expressed in this guide through specific obligations, which guide implementers toward achieving a higher level of data quality and interoperability.