Indicates that a medication product is to be or has been dispensed for a named person/patient. This includes a description of the medication product (supply) provided and the instructions for administering the medication. The medication dispense is the result of a pharmacy system responding to a medication order.

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.

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.

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

A code specifying the state of the set of dispense events.

This element is labeled as a modifier because the status contains codes that mark the resource as not currently valid.

A coded concept specifying the state of the dispense event.

Indicates the type of medication dispense (for example, where the medication is expected to be consumed or administered (i.e. inpatient or outpatient)).

The category can be used to include where the medication is expected to be consumed or other types of dispenses. Invariants can be used to bind to different value sets when profiling to bind.

A code describing where the dispensed medication is expected to be consumed or administered.

Identifies the medication being administered. This is either a link to a resource representing the details of the medication or a simple attribute carrying a code that identifies the medication from a known list of medications.

If only a code is specified, then it needs to be a code for a specific product. If more information is required, then the use of the medication resource is recommended. For example, if you require form or lot number, then you must reference the Medication resource.

A coded concept identifying which substance or product can be dispensed.

Identifies the medication being administered. This is either a link to a resource representing the details of the medication or a simple attribute carrying a code that identifies the medication from a known list of medications.

If only a code is specified, then it needs to be a code for a specific product. If more information is required, then the use of the medication resource is recommended. For example, if you require form or lot number, then you must reference the Medication resource.

A coded concept identifying which substance or product can be dispensed.

A reference to a code defined by a terminology system.

Codes may be defined very casually in enumerations, or code lists, up to very formal definitions such as SNOMED CT - see the HL7 v3 Core Principles for more information. Ordering of codings is undefined and SHALL NOT be used to infer meaning. Generally, at most only one of the coding values will be labeled as UserSelected = true.

Allows for alternative encodings within a code system, and translations to other code systems.

The identification of the code system that defines the meaning of the symbol in the code.

The URI may be an OID (urn:oid:...) or a UUID (urn:uuid:...). OIDs and UUIDs SHALL be references to the HL7 OID registry. Otherwise, the URI should come from HL7's list of FHIR defined special URIs or it should reference to some definition that establishes the system clearly and unambiguously.

Need to be unambiguous about the source of the definition of the symbol.

A symbol in syntax defined by the system. The symbol may be a predefined code or an expression in a syntax defined by the coding system (e.g. post-coordination).

Need to refer to a particular code in the system.

A human language representation of the concept as seen/selected/uttered by the user who entered the data and/or which represents the intended meaning of the user.

Very often the text is the same as a displayName of one of the codings.

The codes from the terminologies do not always capture the correct meaning with all the nuances of the human using them, or sometimes there is no appropriate code at all. In these cases, the text is used to capture the full meaning of the source.

A link to a resource representing the person or the group to whom the medication will be given.

SubstanceAdministration->subject->Patient.

Indicates who or what performed the event.

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.

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

The device, practitioner, etc. who performed the action. It should be assumed that the actor is the dispenser of the medication.

The principal physical location where the dispense was performed.

Indicates the medication order that is being dispensed against.

Maps to basedOn in Event logical model.

Indicates the type of dispensing event that is performed. For example, Trial Fill, Completion of Trial, Partial Fill, Emergency Fill, Samples, etc.

Indicates the type of dispensing event that is performed. For example, Trial Fill, Completion of Trial, Partial Fill, Emergency Fill, Samples, etc.

The amount of medication that has been dispensed. Includes unit of measure.

The value of the measured amount. The value includes an implicit precision in the presentation of the value.

The implicit precision in the value should always be honored. Monetary values have their own rules for handling precision (refer to standard accounting text books).

Precision is handled implicitly in almost all cases of measurement.

Not allowed to be used in this context

How the Quantity should be understood and represented.

Need a framework for handling measures where the value is <5ug/L or >400mg/L due to the limitations of measuring methodology.

The amount of medication expressed as a timing amount.

The time when the dispensed product was packaged and reviewed.

Identification of the facility/location where the medication was shipped to, as part of the dispense event.

Plain text narrative that identifies the resource in addition to the resource reference.

This is generally not the same as the Resource.text of the referenced resource. The purpose is to identify what's being referenced, not to fully describe it.

Extra information about the dispense that could not be conveyed in the other attributes.

The text of the annotation in markdown format.

Indicates how the medication is to be used by the patient.

When the dose or rate is intended to change over the entire administration period (e.g. Tapering dose prescriptions), multiple instances of dosage instructions will need to be supplied to convey the different doses/rates. The pharmacist reviews the medication order prior to dispense and updates the dosageInstruction based on the actual product being dispensed.

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.

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Free text dosage instructions e.g. SIG.

Free text dosage instructions can be used for cases where the instructions are too complex to code. The content of this attribute does not include the name or description of the medication. When coded instructions are present, the free text instructions may still be present for display to humans taking or administering the medication. It is expected that the text instructions will always be populated. If the dosage.timing attribute is also populated, then the dosage.text should reflect the same information as the timing. Additional information about administration or preparation of the medication should be included as text.

Instructions in terms that are understood by the patient or consumer.

The amount of medication administered.

Amount of medication per dose.

Note that this specifies the quantity of the specified medication, not the quantity for each active ingredient(s). Each ingredient amount can be communicated in the Medication resource. For example, if one wants to communicate that a tablet was 375 mg, where the dose was one tablet, you can use the Medication resource to document that the tablet was comprised of 375 mg of drug XYZ. Alternatively if the dose was 375 mg, then you may only need to use the Medication resource to indicate this was a tablet. If the example were an IV such as dopamine and you wanted to communicate that 400mg of dopamine was mixed in 500 ml of some IV solution, then this would all be communicated in the Medication resource. If the administration is not intended to be instantaneous (rate is present or timing has a duration), this can be specified to convey the total amount to be administered over the period of time as indicated by the schedule e.g. 500 ml in dose, with timing used to convey that this should be done over 4 hours.

The amount of therapeutic or other substance given at one administration event.

Amount of medication per dose.

Note that this specifies the quantity of the specified medication, not the quantity for each active ingredient(s). Each ingredient amount can be communicated in the Medication resource. For example, if one wants to communicate that a tablet was 375 mg, where the dose was one tablet, you can use the Medication resource to document that the tablet was comprised of 375 mg of drug XYZ. Alternatively if the dose was 375 mg, then you may only need to use the Medication resource to indicate this was a tablet. If the example were an IV such as dopamine and you wanted to communicate that 400mg of dopamine was mixed in 500 ml of some IV solution, then this would all be communicated in the Medication resource. If the administration is not intended to be instantaneous (rate is present or timing has a duration), this can be specified to convey the total amount to be administered over the period of time as indicated by the schedule e.g. 500 ml in dose, with timing used to convey that this should be done over 4 hours.

The amount of therapeutic or other substance given at one administration event.

The value of the measured amount. The value includes an implicit precision in the presentation of the value.

The implicit precision in the value should always be honored. Monetary values have their own rules for handling precision (refer to standard accounting text books).

Precision is handled implicitly in almost all cases of measurement.

Not allowed to be used in this context

How the Quantity should be understood and represented.

Need a framework for handling measures where the value is <5ug/L or >400mg/L due to the limitations of measuring methodology.

A human-readable form of the unit.

There are many representations for units of measure and in many contexts, particular representations are fixed and required. I.e. mcg for micrograms.

A computer processable form of the unit in some unit representation system.

The preferred system is UCUM, but SNOMED CT can also be used (for customary units) or ISO 4217 for currency. The context of use may additionally require a code from a particular system.

see mapping VF_DoseUnits

Need a computable form of the unit that is fixed across all forms. UCUM provides this for quantities, but SNOMED CT provides many units of interest.

see mapping VF_DoseUnits

Indicates that a medication product is to be or has been dispensed for a named person/patient. This includes a description of the medication product (supply) provided and the instructions for administering the medication. The medication dispense is the result of a pharmacy system responding to a medication order.

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.

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.

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.

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).

A human language.

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.

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.

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.

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.

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Identifiers associated with this Medication Dispense that are defined by business processes and/or used to refer to it when a direct URL reference to the resource itself is not appropriate. They are business identifiers assigned to this resource by the performer or other systems and remain constant as the resource is updated and propagates from server to server.

This is a business identifier, not a resource identifier.

The procedure that trigger the dispense.

A code specifying the state of the set of dispense events.

This element is labeled as a modifier because the status contains codes that mark the resource as not currently valid.

A coded concept specifying the state of the dispense event.

Indicates the reason why a dispense was not performed.

A code describing why a dispense was not performed.

Indicates the type of medication dispense (for example, where the medication is expected to be consumed or administered (i.e. inpatient or outpatient)).

The category can be used to include where the medication is expected to be consumed or other types of dispenses. Invariants can be used to bind to different value sets when profiling to bind.

A code describing where the dispensed medication is expected to be consumed or administered.

Identifies the medication being administered. This is either a link to a resource representing the details of the medication or a simple attribute carrying a code that identifies the medication from a known list of medications.

If only a code is specified, then it needs to be a code for a specific product. If more information is required, then the use of the medication resource is recommended. For example, if you require form or lot number, then you must reference the Medication resource.

A coded concept identifying which substance or product can be dispensed.

Identifies the medication being administered. This is either a link to a resource representing the details of the medication or a simple attribute carrying a code that identifies the medication from a known list of medications.

If only a code is specified, then it needs to be a code for a specific product. If more information is required, then the use of the medication resource is recommended. For example, if you require form or lot number, then you must reference the Medication resource.

A coded concept identifying which substance or product can be dispensed.

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

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.

A reference to a code defined by a terminology system.

Codes may be defined very casually in enumerations, or code lists, up to very formal definitions such as SNOMED CT - see the HL7 v3 Core Principles for more information. Ordering of codings is undefined and SHALL NOT be used to infer meaning. Generally, at most only one of the coding values will be labeled as UserSelected = true.

Allows for alternative encodings within a code system, and translations to other code systems.

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

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.

The identification of the code system that defines the meaning of the symbol in the code.

The URI may be an OID (urn:oid:...) or a UUID (urn:uuid:...). OIDs and UUIDs SHALL be references to the HL7 OID registry. Otherwise, the URI should come from HL7's list of FHIR defined special URIs or it should reference to some definition that establishes the system clearly and unambiguously.

Need to be unambiguous about the source of the definition of the symbol.

The version of the code system which was used when choosing this code. Note that a well-maintained code system does not need the version reported, because the meaning of codes is consistent across versions. However this cannot consistently be assured, and when the meaning is not guaranteed to be consistent, the version SHOULD be exchanged.

Where the terminology does not clearly define what string should be used to identify code system versions, the recommendation is to use the date (expressed in FHIR date format) on which that version was officially published as the version date.

A symbol in syntax defined by the system. The symbol may be a predefined code or an expression in a syntax defined by the coding system (e.g. post-coordination).

Need to refer to a particular code in the system.

A representation of the meaning of the code in the system, following the rules of the system.

Need to be able to carry a human-readable meaning of the code for readers that do not know the system.

Indicates that this coding was chosen by a user directly - e.g. off a pick list of available items (codes or displays).

Amongst a set of alternatives, a directly chosen code is the most appropriate starting point for new translations. There is some ambiguity about what exactly 'directly chosen' implies, and trading partner agreement may be needed to clarify the use of this element and its consequences more completely.

This has been identified as a clinical safety criterium - that this exact system/code pair was chosen explicitly, rather than inferred by the system based on some rules or language processing.

A human language representation of the concept as seen/selected/uttered by the user who entered the data and/or which represents the intended meaning of the user.

Very often the text is the same as a displayName of one of the codings.

The codes from the terminologies do not always capture the correct meaning with all the nuances of the human using them, or sometimes there is no appropriate code at all. In these cases, the text is used to capture the full meaning of the source.

A link to a resource representing the person or the group to whom the medication will be given.

SubstanceAdministration->subject->Patient.

The encounter or episode of care that establishes the context for this event.

Additional information that supports the medication being dispensed.

Indicates who or what performed the event.

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

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.

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.

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Distinguishes the type of performer in the dispense. For example, date enterer, packager, final checker.

A code describing the role an individual played in dispensing a medication.

Allows disambiguation of the types of involvement of different performers.

The device, practitioner, etc. who performed the action. It should be assumed that the actor is the dispenser of the medication.

The principal physical location where the dispense was performed.

Indicates the medication order that is being dispensed against.

Maps to basedOn in Event logical model.

Indicates the type of dispensing event that is performed. For example, Trial Fill, Completion of Trial, Partial Fill, Emergency Fill, Samples, etc.

Indicates the type of dispensing event that is performed. For example, Trial Fill, Completion of Trial, Partial Fill, Emergency Fill, Samples, etc.

The amount of medication that has been dispensed. Includes unit of measure.

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

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.

The value of the measured amount. The value includes an implicit precision in the presentation of the value.

The implicit precision in the value should always be honored. Monetary values have their own rules for handling precision (refer to standard accounting text books).

Precision is handled implicitly in almost all cases of measurement.

Not allowed to be used in this context

How the Quantity should be understood and represented.

Need a framework for handling measures where the value is <5ug/L or >400mg/L due to the limitations of measuring methodology.

A human-readable form of the unit.

There are many representations for units of measure and in many contexts, particular representations are fixed and required. I.e. mcg for micrograms.

The identification of the system that provides the coded form of the unit.

Need to know the system that defines the coded form of the unit.

A computer processable form of the unit in some unit representation system.

The preferred system is UCUM, but SNOMED CT can also be used (for customary units) or ISO 4217 for currency. The context of use may additionally require a code from a particular system.

Need a computable form of the unit that is fixed across all forms. UCUM provides this for quantities, but SNOMED CT provides many units of interest.

The amount of medication expressed as a timing amount.

The time when the dispensed product was packaged and reviewed.

The time the dispensed product was provided to the patient or their representative.

Identification of the facility/location where the medication was shipped to, as part of the dispense event.

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

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.

A reference to a location at which the other resource is found. The reference may be a relative reference, in which case it is relative to the service base URL, or an absolute URL that resolves to the location where the resource is found. The reference may be version specific or not. If the reference is not to a FHIR RESTful server, then it should be assumed to be version specific. Internal fragment references (start with '#') refer to contained resources.

Using absolute URLs provides a stable scalable approach suitable for a cloud/web context, while using relative/logical references provides a flexible approach suitable for use when trading across closed eco-system boundaries. Absolute URLs do not need to point to a FHIR RESTful server, though this is the preferred approach. If the URL conforms to the structure "/[type]/[id]" then it should be assumed that the reference is to a FHIR RESTful server.

The expected type of the target of the reference. If both Reference.type and Reference.reference are populated and Reference.reference is a FHIR URL, both SHALL be consistent.

The type is the Canonical URL of Resource Definition that is the type this reference refers to. References are URLs that are relative to http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/ e.g. "Patient" is a reference to http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/Patient. Absolute URLs are only allowed for logical models (and can only be used in references in logical models, not resources).

This element is used to indicate the type of the target of the reference. This may be used which ever of the other elements are populated (or not). In some cases, the type of the target may be determined by inspection of the reference (e.g. a RESTful URL) or by resolving the target of the reference; if both the type and a reference is provided, the reference SHALL resolve to a resource of the same type as that specified.

Aa resource (or, for logical models, the URI of the logical model).

An identifier for the target resource. This is used when there is no way to reference the other resource directly, either because the entity it represents is not available through a FHIR server, or because there is no way for the author of the resource to convert a known identifier to an actual location. There is no requirement that a Reference.identifier point to something that is actually exposed as a FHIR instance, but it SHALL point to a business concept that would be expected to be exposed as a FHIR instance, and that instance would need to be of a FHIR resource type allowed by the reference.

When an identifier is provided in place of a reference, any system processing the reference will only be able to resolve the identifier to a reference if it understands the business context in which the identifier is used. Sometimes this is global (e.g. a national identifier) but often it is not. For this reason, none of the useful mechanisms described for working with references (e.g. chaining, includes) are possible, nor should servers be expected to be able resolve the reference. Servers may accept an identifier based reference untouched, resolve it, and/or reject it - see CapabilityStatement.rest.resource.referencePolicy.

When both an identifier and a literal reference are provided, the literal reference is preferred. Applications processing the resource are allowed - but not required - to check that the identifier matches the literal reference

Applications converting a logical reference to a literal reference may choose to leave the logical reference present, or remove it.

Reference is intended to point to a structure that can potentially be expressed as a FHIR resource, though there is no need for it to exist as an actual FHIR resource instance - except in as much as an application wishes to actual find the target of the reference. The content referred to be the identifier must meet the logical constraints implied by any limitations on what resource types are permitted for the reference. For example, it would not be legitimate to send the identifier for a drug prescription if the type were Reference(Observation|DiagnosticReport). One of the use-cases for Reference.identifier is the situation where no FHIR representation exists (where the type is Reference (Any).

Plain text narrative that identifies the resource in addition to the resource reference.

This is generally not the same as the Resource.text of the referenced resource. The purpose is to identify what's being referenced, not to fully describe it.

Identifies the person who picked up the medication. This will usually be a patient or their caregiver, but some cases exist where it can be a healthcare professional.

Extra information about the dispense that could not be conveyed in the other attributes.

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

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.

The individual responsible for making the annotation.

Organization is used when there's no need for specific attribution as to who made the comment.

Indicates when this particular annotation was made.

The text of the annotation in markdown format.

Indicates how the medication is to be used by the patient.

When the dose or rate is intended to change over the entire administration period (e.g. Tapering dose prescriptions), multiple instances of dosage instructions will need to be supplied to convey the different doses/rates. The pharmacist reviews the medication order prior to dispense and updates the dosageInstruction based on the actual product being dispensed.

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

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.

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.

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

Indicates the order in which the dosage instructions should be applied or interpreted.

If the sequence number of multiple Dosages is the same, then it is implied that the instructions are to be treated as concurrent. If the sequence number is different, then the Dosages are intended to be sequential.

Free text dosage instructions e.g. SIG.

Free text dosage instructions can be used for cases where the instructions are too complex to code. The content of this attribute does not include the name or description of the medication. When coded instructions are present, the free text instructions may still be present for display to humans taking or administering the medication. It is expected that the text instructions will always be populated. If the dosage.timing attribute is also populated, then the dosage.text should reflect the same information as the timing. Additional information about administration or preparation of the medication should be included as text.

Supplemental instructions to the patient on how to take the medication (e.g. "with meals" or"take half to one hour before food") or warnings for the patient about the medication (e.g. "may cause drowsiness" or "avoid exposure of skin to direct sunlight or sunlamps").

Information about administration or preparation of the medication (e.g. "infuse as rapidly as possibly via intraperitoneal port" or "immediately following drug x") should be populated in dosage.text.

A coded concept identifying additional instructions such as "take with water" or "avoid operating heavy machinery".

Additional instruction is intended to be coded, but where no code exists, the element could include text. For example, "Swallow with plenty of water" which might or might not be coded.

Instructions in terms that are understood by the patient or consumer.

When medication should be administered.

This attribute might not always be populated while the Dosage.text is expected to be populated. If both are populated, then the Dosage.text should reflect the content of the Dosage.timing.

The timing schedule for giving the medication to the patient. This data type allows many different expressions. For example: "Every 8 hours"; "Three times a day"; "1/2 an hour before breakfast for 10 days from 23-Dec 2011:"; "15 Oct 2013, 17 Oct 2013 and 1 Nov 2013". Sometimes, a rate can imply duration when expressed as total volume / duration (e.g. 500mL/2 hours implies a duration of 2 hours). However, when rate doesn't imply duration (e.g. 250mL/hour), then the timing.repeat.duration is needed to convey the infuse over time period.

Indicates whether the Medication is only taken when needed within a specific dosing schedule (Boolean option), or it indicates the precondition for taking the Medication (CodeableConcept).

Can express "as needed" without a reason by setting the Boolean = True. In this case the CodeableConcept is not populated. Or you can express "as needed" with a reason by including the CodeableConcept. In this case the Boolean is assumed to be True. If you set the Boolean to False, then the dose is given according to the schedule and is not "prn" or "as needed".

A coded concept identifying the precondition that should be met or evaluated prior to consuming or administering a medication dose. For example "pain", "30 minutes prior to sexual intercourse", "on flare-up" etc.

Body site to administer to.

If the use case requires attributes from the BodySite resource (e.g. to identify and track separately) then use the standard extension bodySite. May be a summary code, or a reference to a very precise definition of the location, or both.

A coded concept describing the site location the medicine enters into or onto the body.

A coded specification of the anatomic site where the medication first enters the body.

How drug should enter body.

A coded concept describing the route or physiological path of administration of a therapeutic agent into or onto the body of a subject.

A code specifying the route or physiological path of administration of a therapeutic agent into or onto a patient's body.

Technique for administering medication.

Terminologies used often pre-coordinate this term with the route and or form of administration.

A coded concept describing the technique by which the medicine is administered.

A coded value indicating the method by which the medication is introduced into or onto the body. Most commonly used for injections. For examples, Slow Push; Deep IV.

The amount of medication administered.

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

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.

The kind of dose or rate specified, for example, ordered or calculated.

The kind of dose or rate specified.

If the type is not populated, assume to be "ordered".

Amount of medication per dose.

Note that this specifies the quantity of the specified medication, not the quantity for each active ingredient(s). Each ingredient amount can be communicated in the Medication resource. For example, if one wants to communicate that a tablet was 375 mg, where the dose was one tablet, you can use the Medication resource to document that the tablet was comprised of 375 mg of drug XYZ. Alternatively if the dose was 375 mg, then you may only need to use the Medication resource to indicate this was a tablet. If the example were an IV such as dopamine and you wanted to communicate that 400mg of dopamine was mixed in 500 ml of some IV solution, then this would all be communicated in the Medication resource. If the administration is not intended to be instantaneous (rate is present or timing has a duration), this can be specified to convey the total amount to be administered over the period of time as indicated by the schedule e.g. 500 ml in dose, with timing used to convey that this should be done over 4 hours.

The amount of therapeutic or other substance given at one administration event.

Amount of medication per dose.

Note that this specifies the quantity of the specified medication, not the quantity for each active ingredient(s). Each ingredient amount can be communicated in the Medication resource. For example, if one wants to communicate that a tablet was 375 mg, where the dose was one tablet, you can use the Medication resource to document that the tablet was comprised of 375 mg of drug XYZ. Alternatively if the dose was 375 mg, then you may only need to use the Medication resource to indicate this was a tablet. If the example were an IV such as dopamine and you wanted to communicate that 400mg of dopamine was mixed in 500 ml of some IV solution, then this would all be communicated in the Medication resource. If the administration is not intended to be instantaneous (rate is present or timing has a duration), this can be specified to convey the total amount to be administered over the period of time as indicated by the schedule e.g. 500 ml in dose, with timing used to convey that this should be done over 4 hours.

The amount of therapeutic or other substance given at one administration event.

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

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.

The value of the measured amount. The value includes an implicit precision in the presentation of the value.

The implicit precision in the value should always be honored. Monetary values have their own rules for handling precision (refer to standard accounting text books).

Precision is handled implicitly in almost all cases of measurement.

Not allowed to be used in this context

How the Quantity should be understood and represented.

Need a framework for handling measures where the value is <5ug/L or >400mg/L due to the limitations of measuring methodology.

A human-readable form of the unit.

There are many representations for units of measure and in many contexts, particular representations are fixed and required. I.e. mcg for micrograms.

The identification of the system that provides the coded form of the unit.

Need to know the system that defines the coded form of the unit.

A computer processable form of the unit in some unit representation system.

The preferred system is UCUM, but SNOMED CT can also be used (for customary units) or ISO 4217 for currency. The context of use may additionally require a code from a particular system.

see mapping VF_DoseUnits

Need a computable form of the unit that is fixed across all forms. UCUM provides this for quantities, but SNOMED CT provides many units of interest.

Amount of medication per unit of time.

It is possible to supply both a rate and a doseQuantity to provide full details about how the medication is to be administered and supplied. If the rate is intended to change over time, depending on local rules/regulations, each change should be captured as a new version of the MedicationRequest with an updated rate, or captured with a new MedicationRequest with the new rate.

It is possible to specify a rate over time (for example, 100 ml/hour) using either the rateRatio and rateQuantity. The rateQuantity approach requires systems to have the capability to parse UCUM grammer where ml/hour is included rather than a specific ratio where the time is specified as the denominator. Where a rate such as 500ml over 2 hours is specified, the use of rateRatio may be more semantically correct than specifying using a rateQuantity of 250 mg/hour.

Identifies the speed with which the medication was or will be introduced into the patient. Typically the rate for an infusion e.g. 100 ml per 1 hour or 100 ml/hr. May also be expressed as a rate per unit of time e.g. 500 ml per 2 hours. Other examples: 200 mcg/min or 200 mcg/1 minute; 1 liter/8 hours. Sometimes, a rate can imply duration when expressed as total volume / duration (e.g. 500mL/2 hours implies a duration of 2 hours). However, when rate doesn't imply duration (e.g. 250mL/hour), then the timing.repeat.duration is needed to convey the infuse over time period.

Upper limit on medication per unit of time.

This is intended for use as an adjunct to the dosage when there is an upper cap. For example "2 tablets every 4 hours to a maximum of 8/day".

The maximum total quantity of a therapeutic substance that may be administered to a subject over the period of time. For example, 1000mg in 24 hours.

Upper limit on medication per administration.

This is intended for use as an adjunct to the dosage when there is an upper cap. For example, a body surface area related dose with a maximum amount, such as 1.5 mg/m2 (maximum 2 mg) IV over 5 – 10 minutes would have doseQuantity of 1.5 mg/m2 and maxDosePerAdministration of 2 mg.

The maximum total quantity of a therapeutic substance that may be administered to a subject per administration.

Upper limit on medication per lifetime of the patient.

The maximum total quantity of a therapeutic substance that may be administered per lifetime of the subject.

Indicates whether or not substitution was made as part of the dispense. In some cases, substitution will be expected but does not happen, in other cases substitution is not expected but does happen. This block explains what substitution did or did not happen and why. If nothing is specified, substitution was not done.

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

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.

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.

Modifier extensions allow for extensions that cannot be safely ignored to be clearly distinguished from the vast majority of extensions which can be safely ignored. This promotes interoperability by eliminating the need for implementers to prohibit the presence of extensions. For further information, see the definition of modifier extensions.

True if the dispenser dispensed a different drug or product from what was prescribed.

A code signifying whether a different drug was dispensed from what was prescribed.

A coded concept describing whether a different medicinal product may be dispensed other than the product as specified exactly in the prescription.

Indicates the reason for the substitution (or lack of substitution) from what was prescribed.

A coded concept describing the reason that a different medication should (or should not) be substituted from what was prescribed.

The person or organization that has primary responsibility for the substitution.

Indicates an actual or potential clinical issue with or between one or more active or proposed clinical actions for a patient; e.g. drug-drug interaction, duplicate therapy, dosage alert etc.

This element can include a detected issue that has been identified either by a decision support system or by a clinician and may include information on the steps that were taken to address the issue.