HL7 Europe Medication Prescription and Dispense, published by HL7 Europe. This guide is not an authorized publication; it is the continuous build for version 1.0.0 built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) CI Build. This version is based on the current content of https://github.com/hl7-eu/mpd/ and changes regularly. See the Directory of published versions

Dosage Patterns

Dosage data type obligations and constraints

The IG makes use of the full Dosage data type, and the profile in the IG only adds obligations on elements that are related to the most commonly used dosaging schemes (patterns) - these are the same elements as defined for EHDSDosage model.

Dosage profile does not profile out any elements or add extensions, but there are expectations to terminology bindings regarding administration route and units. The preferred code system for measurement units is UCUM, and the preferred code system for units of presentation is EDQM Standard Terms. Both of these code systems are already used in the MyHealth@EU crossborder services.

See the Dosage profile differential for the list of elements to be supported.

Endorsed dosage patterns

The following example dosages are supported by the defined elements:

• 0.5 tablets
• 2-3 tablets
• 15ml-20ml
• 50mg/h for 20 minutes

The following example timings (and their combinations) are supported by the defined elements:

• 3 times a day
• at 8AM
• for 7 days
• from 1.1.2026 - 10.1.2026
• every Monday
• every third day
• as needed

The following additional information is supported by the defined elements:

• coded instruction (before breakfast)
• text instruction
• body site and/or route of administration

Dosage pattern examples

In most cases, the full rendered dosage instructions should be made available in the renderedDosageInstruction element (extension in R4) of MedicationRequest or MedicationDispense resources. This should provide a human-readable information that can be safely displayed or printed out in the original language without processing every individual data element or extension that may be used in a particular implementation. If the dosaging instructions contain multiple different Dosages, the renderedDosageInstruction element must contain all of them and display them logically.