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StructureMap

A Map of relationships between 2 structures that can be used to transform data.

Properties

NameRequiredTypeDescription
urluri

Canonical identifier for this structure map, represented as a URI (globally unique)

Details

An absolute URI that is used to identify this structure map when it is referenced in a specification, model, design or an instance; also called its canonical identifier. This SHOULD be globally unique and SHOULD be a literal address at which at which an authoritative instance of this structure map is (or will be) published. This URL can be the target of a canonical reference. It SHALL remain the same when the structure map is stored on different servers.

Can be a urn:uuid: or a urn:oid: but real http: addresses are preferred. Multiple instances may share the same URL if they have a distinct version. The determination of when to create a new version of a resource (same url, new version) vs. defining a new artifact is up to the author. Considerations for making this decision are found in [Technical and Business Versions](resource.html#versions). In some cases, the resource can no longer be found at the stated url, but the url itself cannot change. Implementations can use the [meta.source](resource.html#meta) element to indicate where the current master source of the resource can be found.

identifierIdentifier[]

Additional identifier for the structure map

Details

A formal identifier that is used to identify this structure map when it is represented in other formats, or referenced in a specification, model, design or an instance.

Typically, this is used for identifiers that can go in an HL7 V3 II (instance identifier) data type, and can then identify this structure map outside of FHIR, where it is not possible to use the logical URI.

versionstring

Business version of the structure map

Details

The identifier that is used to identify this version of the structure map when it is referenced in a specification, model, design or instance. This is an arbitrary value managed by the structure map author and is not expected to be globally unique. For example, it might be a timestamp (e.g. yyyymmdd) if a managed version is not available. There is also no expectation that versions can be placed in a lexicographical sequence.

There may be different structure map instances that have the same identifier but different versions. The version can be appended to the url in a reference to allow a reference to a particular business version of the structure map with the format [url]|[version].

namestring

Name for this structure map (computer friendly)

Details

A natural language name identifying the structure map. This name should be usable as an identifier for the module by machine processing applications such as code generation.

The name is not expected to be globally unique. The name should be a simple alphanumeric type name to ensure that it is machine-processing friendly.

titlestring

Name for this structure map (human friendly)

Details

A short, descriptive, user-friendly title for the structure map.

This name does not need to be machine-processing friendly and may contain punctuation, white-space, etc.

statuscode

draft | active | retired | unknown

Details

The status of this structure map. Enables tracking the life-cycle of the content.

Allows filtering of structure maps that are appropriate for use versus not.

experimentalboolean

For testing purposes, not real usage

Details

A Boolean value to indicate that this structure map is authored for testing purposes (or education/evaluation/marketing) and is not intended to be used for genuine usage.

Allows filtering of structure maps that are appropriate for use versus not.

datedateTime

Date last changed

Details

The date (and optionally time) when the structure map was published. The date must change when the business version changes and it must change if the status code changes. In addition, it should change when the substantive content of the structure map changes.

Note that this is not the same as the resource last-modified-date, since the resource may be a secondary representation of the structure map. Additional specific dates may be added as extensions or be found by consulting Provenances associated with past versions of the resource.

publisherstring

Name of the publisher (organization or individual)

Details

The name of the organization or individual that published the structure map.

Usually an organization but may be an individual. The publisher (or steward) of the structure map is the organization or individual primarily responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the structure map. This is not necessarily the same individual or organization that developed and initially authored the content. The publisher is the primary point of contact for questions or issues with the structure map. This item SHOULD be populated unless the information is available from context.

contactContactDetail[]

Contact details for the publisher

Details

Contact details to assist a user in finding and communicating with the publisher.

May be a web site, an email address, a telephone number, etc.

descriptionmarkdown

Natural language description of the structure map

Details

A free text natural language description of the structure map from a consumer's perspective.

This description can be used to capture details such as why the structure map was built, comments about misuse, instructions for clinical use and interpretation, literature references, examples from the paper world, etc. It is not a rendering of the structure map as conveyed in the 'text' field of the resource itself. This item SHOULD be populated unless the information is available from context (e.g. the language of the structure map is presumed to be the predominant language in the place the structure map was created).

useContextUsageContext[]

The context that the content is intended to support

Details

The content was developed with a focus and intent of supporting the contexts that are listed. These contexts may be general categories (gender, age, ...) or may be references to specific programs (insurance plans, studies, ...) and may be used to assist with indexing and searching for appropriate structure map instances.

When multiple useContexts are specified, there is no expectation that all or any of the contexts apply.

jurisdictionCodeableConcept[]

Intended jurisdiction for structure map (if applicable)

Details

A legal or geographic region in which the structure map is intended to be used.

It may be possible for the structure map to be used in jurisdictions other than those for which it was originally designed or intended.

purposemarkdown

Why this structure map is defined

Details

Explanation of why this structure map is needed and why it has been designed as it has.

This element does not describe the usage of the structure map. Instead, it provides traceability of ''why'' the resource is either needed or ''why'' it is defined as it is. This may be used to point to source materials or specifications that drove the structure of this structure map.

copyrightmarkdown

Use and/or publishing restrictions

Details

A copyright statement relating to the structure map and/or its contents. Copyright statements are generally legal restrictions on the use and publishing of the structure map.

structureStructureMapStructure[]

Structure Definition used by this map

Details

A structure definition used by this map. The structure definition may describe instances that are converted, or the instances that are produced.

It is not necessary for a structure map to identify any dependent structures, though not listing them may restrict its usefulness.

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.

urlcanonical

Canonical reference to structure definition

Details

The canonical reference to the structure.

modecode

source | queried | target | produced

Details

How the referenced structure is used in this mapping.

aliasstring

Name for type in this map

Details

The name used for this type in the map.

This is needed if both types have the same name (e.g. version conversion).

documentationstring

Documentation on use of structure

Details

Documentation that describes how the structure is used in the mapping.

importcanonical[]

Other maps used by this map (canonical URLs)

Details

Other maps used by this map (canonical URLs).

groupStructureMapGroup[]

Named sections for reader convenience

Details

Organizes the mapping into manageable chunks for human review/ease of maintenance.

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.

nameid

Human-readable label

Details

A unique name for the group for the convenience of human readers.

extendsid

Another group that this group adds rules to

Details

Another group that this group adds rules to.

typeModecode

none | types | type-and-types

Details

If this is the default rule set to apply for the source type or this combination of types.

Not applicable if the underlying model is untyped. There can only be one default mapping for any particular type combination.

documentationstring

Additional description/explanation for group

Details

Additional supporting documentation that explains the purpose of the group and the types of mappings within it.

inputStructureMapGroupInput[]

Named instance provided when invoking the map

Details

A name assigned to an instance of data. The instance must be provided when the mapping is invoked.

If no inputs are named, then the entry mappings are type based.

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.

nameid

Name for this instance of data

Details

Name for this instance of data.

typestring

Type for this instance of data

Details

Type for this instance of data.

modecode

source | target

Details

Mode for this instance of data.

documentationstring

Documentation for this instance of data

Details

Documentation for this instance of data.

ruleStructureMapGroupRule[]

Transform Rule from source to target

Details

Transform Rule from source to target.

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.

nameid

Name of the rule for internal references

Details

Name of the rule for internal references.

sourceStructureMapGroupRuleSource[]

Source inputs to the mapping

Details

Source inputs to the mapping.

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.

contextid

Type or variable this rule applies to

Details

Type or variable this rule applies to.

mininteger

Specified minimum cardinality

Details

Specified minimum cardinality for the element. This is optional; if present, it acts an implicit check on the input content.

maxstring

Specified maximum cardinality (number or *)

Details

Specified maximum cardinality for the element - a number or a "*". This is optional; if present, it acts an implicit check on the input content (* just serves as documentation; it's the default value).

typestring

Rule only applies if source has this type

Details

Specified type for the element. This works as a condition on the mapping - use for polymorphic elements.

defaultValue[x]base64Binary, boolean, canonical, code, date, dateTime, decimal, id, instant, integer, markdown, oid, positiveInt, string, time, unsignedInt, uri, url, uuid, Address, Age, Annotation, Attachment, CodeableConcept, Coding, ContactPoint, Count, Distance, Duration, HumanName, Identifier, Money, Period, Quantity, Range, Ratio, Reference<>, SampledData, Signature, Timing, ContactDetail, Contributor, DataRequirement, Expression, ParameterDefinition, RelatedArtifact, TriggerDefinition, UsageContext, Dosage, Meta

Default value if no value exists

Details

A value to use if there is no existing value in the source object.

If there's a default value on an item that can repeat, it will only be used once.

elementstring

Optional field for this source

Details

Optional field for this source.

listModecode

first | not_first | last | not_last | only_one

Details

How to handle the list mode for this element.

variableid

Named context for field, if a field is specified

Details

Named context for field, if a field is specified.

conditionstring

FHIRPath expression - must be true or the rule does not apply

Details

FHIRPath expression - must be true or the rule does not apply.

checkstring

FHIRPath expression - must be true or the mapping engine throws an error instead of completing

Details

FHIRPath expression - must be true or the mapping engine throws an error instead of completing.

logMessagestring

Message to put in log if source exists (FHIRPath)

Details

A FHIRPath expression which specifies a message to put in the transform log when content matching the source rule is found.

This is typically used for recording that something Is not transformed to the target for some reason.

targetStructureMapGroupRuleTarget[]

Content to create because of this mapping rule

Details

Content to create because of this mapping rule.

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.

contextid

Type or variable this rule applies to

Details

Type or variable this rule applies to.

contextTypecode

type | variable

Details

How to interpret the context.

elementstring

Field to create in the context

Details

Field to create in the context.

variableid

Named context for field, if desired, and a field is specified

Details

Named context for field, if desired, and a field is specified.

listModecode[]

first | share | last | collate

Details

If field is a list, how to manage the list.

listRuleIdid

Internal rule reference for shared list items

Details

Internal rule reference for shared list items.

transformcode

create | copy +

Details

How the data is copied / created.

parameterStructureMapGroupRuleTargetParameter[]

Parameters to the transform

Details

Parameters to the transform.

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.

value[x]id, string, boolean, integer, decimal

Parameter value - variable or literal

Details

Parameter value - variable or literal.

rule[]

Rules contained in this rule

Details

Rules contained in this rule.

dependentStructureMapGroupRuleDependent[]

Which other rules to apply in the context of this rule

Details

Which other rules to apply in the context of this rule.

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.

nameid

Name of a rule or group to apply

Details

Name of a rule or group to apply.

variablestring[]

Variable to pass to the rule or group

Details

Variable to pass to the rule or group.

documentationstring

Documentation for this instance of data

Details

Documentation for this instance of data.

Search Parameters

NameTypeDescriptionExpression
contexttoken A use context assigned to the structure map StructureMap.useContext.value
context-quantityquantity A quantity- or range-valued use context assigned to the structure map StructureMap.useContext.value
context-typetoken A type of use context assigned to the structure map StructureMap.useContext.code
datedate The structure map publication date StructureMap.date
descriptionstring The description of the structure map StructureMap.description
jurisdictiontoken Intended jurisdiction for the structure map StructureMap.jurisdiction
namestring Computationally friendly name of the structure map StructureMap.name
publisherstring Name of the publisher of the structure map StructureMap.publisher
statustoken The current status of the structure map StructureMap.status
titlestring The human-friendly name of the structure map StructureMap.title
urluri The uri that identifies the structure map StructureMap.url
versiontoken The business version of the structure map StructureMap.version
context-type-quantitycomposite A use context type and quantity- or range-based value assigned to the structure map StructureMap.useContext
context-type-valuecomposite A use context type and value assigned to the structure map StructureMap.useContext
identifiertoken External identifier for the structure map StructureMap.identifier

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.