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ObservationDefinition

Set of definitional characteristics for a kind of observation or measurement produced or consumed by an orderable health care service.

Properties

NameRequiredTypeDescription
publisherReference< Practitioner | PractitionerRole | Organization >

The name of the individual or organization that published the ObservationDefinition

Details

Helps establish the "authority/credibility" of the ObservationDefinition. May also allow for contact.

categoryCodeableConcept[]

Category of observation

Details

A code that classifies the general type of observation.

This element allows various categorization schemes based on the owner’s definition of the category and effectively multiple categories can be used for one instance of ObservationDefinition. The level of granularity is defined by the category concepts in the value set.

codeCodeableConcept

Type of observation (code / type)

Details

Describes what will be observed. Sometimes this is called the observation "name".

identifierIdentifier[]

Business identifier for this ObservationDefinition instance

Details

A unique identifier assigned to this ObservationDefinition artifact.

permittedDataTypecode[]

Quantity | CodeableConcept | string | boolean | integer | Range | Ratio | SampledData | time | dateTime | Period

Details

The data types allowed for the value element of the instance observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

multipleResultsAllowedboolean

Multiple results allowed

Details

Multiple results allowed for observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

An example of observation allowing multiple results is "bacteria identified by culture". Conversely, the measurement of a potassium level allows a single result.

methodCodeableConcept

Method used to produce the observation

Details

The method or technique used to perform the observation.

Only used if not implicit in observation code.

preferredReportNamestring

Preferred report name

Details

The preferred name to be used when reporting the results of observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

quantitativeDetailsObservationDefinitionQuantitativeDetails

Characteristics of quantitative results

Details

Characteristics for quantitative results of this observation.

idstring

Unique id for inter-element referencing

Details

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

extensionExtension[]

Additional content defined by implementations

Details

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.

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.

modifierExtensionExtension[]

Extensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized

Details

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).

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.

customaryUnitCodeableConcept

Customary unit for quantitative results

Details

Customary unit used to report quantitative results of observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

unitCodeableConcept

SI unit for quantitative results

Details

SI unit used to report quantitative results of observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

conversionFactordecimal

SI to Customary unit conversion factor

Details

Factor for converting value expressed with SI unit to value expressed with customary unit.

decimalPrecisioninteger

Decimal precision of observation quantitative results

Details

Number of digits after decimal separator when the results of such observations are of type Quantity.

qualifiedIntervalObservationDefinitionQualifiedInterval[]

Qualified range for continuous and ordinal observation results

Details

Multiple ranges of results qualified by different contexts for ordinal or continuous observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

idstring

Unique id for inter-element referencing

Details

Unique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.

extensionExtension[]

Additional content defined by implementations

Details

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.

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.

modifierExtensionExtension[]

Extensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognized

Details

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).

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.

categorycode

reference | critical | absolute

Details

The category of interval of values for continuous or ordinal observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

rangeRange

The interval itself, for continuous or ordinal observations

Details

The low and high values determining the interval. There may be only one of the two.

contextCodeableConcept

Range context qualifier

Details

Codes to indicate the health context the range applies to. For example, the normal or therapeutic range.

appliesToCodeableConcept[]

Targetted population of the range

Details

Codes to indicate the target population this reference range applies to.

If this element is not present then the global population is assumed.

gendercode

male | female | other | unknown

Details

Sex of the population the range applies to.

ageRange

Applicable age range, if relevant

Details

The age at which this reference range is applicable. This is a neonatal age (e.g. number of weeks at term) if the meaning says so.

Some analytes vary greatly over age.

gestationalAgeRange

Applicable gestational age range, if relevant

Details

The gestational age to which this reference range is applicable, in the context of pregnancy.

conditionstring

Condition associated with the reference range

Details

Text based condition for which the reference range is valid.

validCodedValueSetReference<ValueSet>

Value set of valid coded values for the observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition

Details

The set of valid coded results for the observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

normalCodedValueSetReference<ValueSet>

Value set of normal coded values for the observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition

Details

The set of normal coded results for the observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

abnormalCodedValueSetReference<ValueSet>

Value set of abnormal coded values for the observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition

Details

The set of abnormal coded results for the observation conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

criticalCodedValueSetReference<ValueSet>

Value set of critical coded values for the observations conforming to this ObservationDefinition

Details

The set of critical coded results for the observation conforming to this ObservationDefinition.

Search Parameters

NameTypeDescriptionExpression
codetokenThe code of the observation definition.ObservationDefinition.code
publisherreferenceThe publisher of the observation definition.ObservationDefinition.publisher

Inherited Properties

NameRequiredTypeDescription
idstring

Logical id of this artifact

Details

The logical id of the resource, as used in the URL for the resource. Once assigned, this value never changes.

The only time that a resource does not have an id is when it is being submitted to the server using a create operation.

metaMeta

Metadata about the resource

Details

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.

implicitRulesuri

A set of rules under which this content was created

Details

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.

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.

languagecode

Language of the resource content

Details

The base language in which the resource is written.

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).

textNarrative

Text summary of the resource, for human interpretation

Details

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.

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.

containedResource[]

Contained, inline Resources

Details

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.

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.

extensionExtension[]

Additional content defined by implementations

Details

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.

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.

modifierExtensionExtension[]

Extensions that cannot be ignored

Details

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).

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.