DSTU2 QA Preview

This page is part of the FHIR Specification (v1.0.0: DSTU 2 Ballot 3). The current version which supercedes this version is 5.0.0. For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions . Page versions: R5 R4B R4 R3 R2

6.1 Resource List - Content

FHIR Infrastructure Work GroupMaturity Level: 0Compartments: Device, Patient, Practitioner

A set of information summarized from a list of other resources.

6.1.1 Scope and Usage

The List resource is a flat, possibly ordered, collection of records. List resources are used in many places, including allergies, medications, alerts, family history, medical history, etc. List resources can be used to support patient-specific clinical lists as well as lists that manage workflows such as tracking patients, managing teaching cases, etc. Resources supported by the List resource can be homogenous – consisting of only one type of resource (e.g. allergy list) as well as heterogeneous – containing a variety of resources (e.g. a problem list including Conditions, AllergyIntolerances, recent Procedures, etc.).

Lists will typically include references to the resources that make up the list, however in some cases the details of the content of the List might be expressed in narrative only. E.g. A text record of a family history. The List resource is only needed if there is a need to filter the set of resources by a mechanism that cannot be accomplished via a simple query. I.e. There is no need to have a List for all AllergyIntolerances that exist on a server for a given Patient. However, List is an appropriate mechanism to provide a filtered list of the subset of AllergyIntolerances that are deemed to be "current". Lists are allowed to contain other lists, so that there is a nested collection of lists.

Note that the presence of an item in a List resource SHALL NOT change the meaning of any information that would be understood by looking at the item outside the context of the List, because items may be accessed directly outside the list by RESTful means, or after a document is processed. For example, a List with a code that means "refuted conditions" can not have items that are Condition resources that do not have a Condition.clinicalStatus of refuted.

6.1.2 Boundaries and Relationships

There are five mechanisms in FHIR for communicating collections of resources:

  • This List resource - enumerates a flat collection of resources and provides features for managing the collection. While a particular List instance may represent a "snapshot", from a business process perspective the notion of "List" is dynamic – items are added and removed over time. The list resource references other resources. Lists may be curated and have specific business meaning.
  • The Group resource - defines a group of specific people, animals, devices, etc. by enumerating them, or by describing qualities that group members have. The group resource refers to other resources, possibly implicitly. Groups are intended to be acted upon or observed as a whole. E.g. performing therapy on a group, calculating risk for a group, etc. This resource will commonly be used for public health (e.g. describing an at-risk population), clinical trials (e.g. defining a test subject pool) and similar purposes.
  • The Composition resource – defines a set of healthcare-related information that is assembled together into a single logical document that provides a single coherent statement of meaning, establishes its own context and that has clinical attestation with regard to who is making the statement. The composition resource provides the basic structure of a FHIR document. The full content of the document is expressed using a bundle. Compositions will often reference Lists as the focus of particular sections.
  • The Bundle resource is an infrastructure container for a group of resources. It does not have narrative and is used to group collections of resources for transmission, persistence or processing (e.g. messages, documents, transactions, query responses, etc.) The content of bundles is typically algorithmically determined for a particular exchange or persistence purpose.
  • The DomainResource.contained element allows multiple resources to be nested inside any DomainResource. This is a special type of grouping where the grouped resources lose independent existence - they no longer have their own identifiers, can't easily be queried independently, etc. Use of this grouping is a technical mechanism for managing the independence of resources and has no impact on meaning. Contained, bundles and remotely referenced resources convey the same meaning.

6.1.3 Resource Content

Structure

NameFlagsCard.TypeDescription & Constraintsdoco
.. List IDomainResourceInformation summarized from a list of other resources
The deleted flag can only be used if the mode of the list is "changes"
A list can only have an emptyReason if it is empty
... identifier 0..*IdentifierBusiness identifier
... title Σ0..1stringDescriptive name for the list
... code Σ0..1CodeableConceptWhat the purpose of this list is
Example Use Codes for List (Example)
... subject Σ0..1Reference(Patient | Group | Device | Location)If all resources have the same subject
... source Σ0..1Reference(Practitioner | Patient | Device)Who and/or what defined the list contents (aka Author)
... encounter 0..1Reference(Encounter)Context in which list created
... status ?! Σ1..1codecurrent | retired | entered-in-error
ListStatus (Required)
... date Σ0..1dateTimeWhen the list was prepared
... orderedBy 0..1CodeableConceptWhat order the list has
List Order Codes (Preferred)
... mode ?! Σ1..1codeworking | snapshot | changes
ListMode (Required)
... note 0..1stringComments about the list
... entry I0..*BackboneElementEntries in the list
.... flag 0..1CodeableConceptStatus/Workflow information about this item
Patient Medicine Change Types (Example)
.... deleted ?! I0..1booleanIf this item is actually marked as deleted
.... date 0..1dateTimeWhen item added to list
.... item 1..1Reference(Any)Actual entry
... emptyReason I0..1CodeableConceptWhy list is empty
List Empty Reasons (Preferred)

doco Documentation for this format

UML Diagram

List (DomainResource)Identifier for the List assigned for business purposes outside the context of FHIRidentifier : Identifier [0..*]A label for the list assigned by the authortitle : string [0..1]This code defines the purpose of the list - why it was createdcode : CodeableConcept [0..1] « What the purpose of a list is (Strength=Example)Example Use Codes for List?? »The common subject (or patient) of the resources that are in the list, if there is onesubject : Reference [0..1] « Patient|Group|Device|Location »The entity responsible for deciding what the contents of the list were. Where the list was created by a human, this is the same as the author of the listsource : Reference [0..1] « Practitioner|Patient|Device »The encounter that is the context in which this list was createdencounter : Reference [0..1] « Encounter »Indicates the current state of this list (this element modifies the meaning of other elements)status : code [1..1] « The current state of the list (Strength=Required)ListStatus! »The date that the list was prepareddate : dateTime [0..1]What order applies to the items in the listorderedBy : CodeableConcept [0..1] « What order applies to the items in a list (Strength=Preferred)List Order ? »How this list was prepared - whether it is a working list that is suitable for being maintained on an ongoing basis, or if it represents a snapshot of a list of items from another source, or whether it is a prepared list where items may be marked as added, modified or deleted (this element modifies the meaning of other elements)mode : code [1..1] « The processing mode that applies to this list (Strength=Required)ListMode! »Comments that apply to the overall listnote : string [0..1]If the list is empty, why the list is emptyemptyReason : CodeableConcept [0..1] « If a list is empty, why it is empty (Strength=Preferred)List Empty Reasons? »EntryThe flag allows the system constructing the list to indicate the role and significance of the item in the listflag : CodeableConcept [0..1] « Codes that provide further information about the reason and meaning of the item in the list (Strength=Example)Patient Medicine Change Types?? »True if this item is marked as deleted in the list (this element modifies the meaning of other elements)deleted : boolean [0..1]When this item was added to the listdate : dateTime [0..1]A reference to the actual resource from which data was deriveditem : Reference [1..1] « Any »Entries in this listentry[0..*]

XML Template

<List xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir"> doco
 <!-- from Resource: id, meta, implicitRules, and language -->
 <!-- from DomainResource: text, contained, extension, and modifierExtension -->
 <identifier><!-- 0..* Identifier Business identifier --></identifier>
 <title value="[string]"/><!-- 0..1 Descriptive name for the list -->
 <code><!-- 0..1 CodeableConcept What the purpose of this list is --></code>
 <subject><!-- 0..1 Reference(Patient|Group|Device|Location) If all resources have the same subject --></subject>
 <source><!-- 0..1 Reference(Practitioner|Patient|Device) Who and/or what defined the list contents (aka Author) --></source>
 <encounter><!-- 0..1 Reference(Encounter) Context in which list created --></encounter>
 <status value="[code]"/><!-- 1..1 current | retired | entered-in-error -->
 <date value="[dateTime]"/><!-- 0..1 When the list was prepared -->
 <orderedBy><!-- 0..1 CodeableConcept What order the list has --></orderedBy>
 <mode value="[code]"/><!-- 1..1 working | snapshot | changes -->
 <note value="[string]"/><!-- 0..1 Comments about the list -->
 <entry>  <!-- ?? 0..* Entries in the list -->
  <flag><!-- 0..1 CodeableConcept Status/Workflow information about this item --></flag>
  <deleted value="[boolean]"/><!-- ?? 0..1 If this item is actually marked as deleted -->
  <date value="[dateTime]"/><!-- 0..1 When item added to list -->
  <item><!-- 1..1 Reference(Any) Actual entry --></item>
 </entry>
 <emptyReason><!-- ?? 0..1 CodeableConcept Why list is empty --></emptyReason>
</List>

Structure

NameFlagsCard.TypeDescription & Constraintsdoco
.. List IDomainResourceInformation summarized from a list of other resources
The deleted flag can only be used if the mode of the list is "changes"
A list can only have an emptyReason if it is empty
... identifier 0..*IdentifierBusiness identifier
... title Σ0..1stringDescriptive name for the list
... code Σ0..1CodeableConceptWhat the purpose of this list is
Example Use Codes for List (Example)
... subject Σ0..1Reference(Patient | Group | Device | Location)If all resources have the same subject
... source Σ0..1Reference(Practitioner | Patient | Device)Who and/or what defined the list contents (aka Author)
... encounter 0..1Reference(Encounter)Context in which list created
... status ?! Σ1..1codecurrent | retired | entered-in-error
ListStatus (Required)
... date Σ0..1dateTimeWhen the list was prepared
... orderedBy 0..1CodeableConceptWhat order the list has
List Order Codes (Preferred)
... mode ?! Σ1..1codeworking | snapshot | changes
ListMode (Required)
... note 0..1stringComments about the list
... entry I0..*BackboneElementEntries in the list
.... flag 0..1CodeableConceptStatus/Workflow information about this item
Patient Medicine Change Types (Example)
.... deleted ?! I0..1booleanIf this item is actually marked as deleted
.... date 0..1dateTimeWhen item added to list
.... item 1..1Reference(Any)Actual entry
... emptyReason I0..1CodeableConceptWhy list is empty
List Empty Reasons (Preferred)

doco Documentation for this format

UML Diagram

List (DomainResource)Identifier for the List assigned for business purposes outside the context of FHIRidentifier : Identifier [0..*]A label for the list assigned by the authortitle : string [0..1]This code defines the purpose of the list - why it was createdcode : CodeableConcept [0..1] « What the purpose of a list is (Strength=Example)Example Use Codes for List?? »The common subject (or patient) of the resources that are in the list, if there is onesubject : Reference [0..1] « Patient|Group|Device|Location »The entity responsible for deciding what the contents of the list were. Where the list was created by a human, this is the same as the author of the listsource : Reference [0..1] « Practitioner|Patient|Device »The encounter that is the context in which this list was createdencounter : Reference [0..1] « Encounter »Indicates the current state of this list (this element modifies the meaning of other elements)status : code [1..1] « The current state of the list (Strength=Required)ListStatus! »The date that the list was prepareddate : dateTime [0..1]What order applies to the items in the listorderedBy : CodeableConcept [0..1] « What order applies to the items in a list (Strength=Preferred)List Order ? »How this list was prepared - whether it is a working list that is suitable for being maintained on an ongoing basis, or if it represents a snapshot of a list of items from another source, or whether it is a prepared list where items may be marked as added, modified or deleted (this element modifies the meaning of other elements)mode : code [1..1] « The processing mode that applies to this list (Strength=Required)ListMode! »Comments that apply to the overall listnote : string [0..1]If the list is empty, why the list is emptyemptyReason : CodeableConcept [0..1] « If a list is empty, why it is empty (Strength=Preferred)List Empty Reasons? »EntryThe flag allows the system constructing the list to indicate the role and significance of the item in the listflag : CodeableConcept [0..1] « Codes that provide further information about the reason and meaning of the item in the list (Strength=Example)Patient Medicine Change Types?? »True if this item is marked as deleted in the list (this element modifies the meaning of other elements)deleted : boolean [0..1]When this item was added to the listdate : dateTime [0..1]A reference to the actual resource from which data was deriveditem : Reference [1..1] « Any »Entries in this listentry[0..*]

XML Template

<List xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir"> doco
 <!-- from Resource: id, meta, implicitRules, and language -->
 <!-- from DomainResource: text, contained, extension, and modifierExtension -->
 <identifier><!-- 0..* Identifier Business identifier --></identifier>
 <title value="[string]"/><!-- 0..1 Descriptive name for the list -->
 <code><!-- 0..1 CodeableConcept What the purpose of this list is --></code>
 <subject><!-- 0..1 Reference(Patient|Group|Device|Location) If all resources have the same subject --></subject>
 <source><!-- 0..1 Reference(Practitioner|Patient|Device) Who and/or what defined the list contents (aka Author) --></source>
 <encounter><!-- 0..1 Reference(Encounter) Context in which list created --></encounter>
 <status value="[code]"/><!-- 1..1 current | retired | entered-in-error -->
 <date value="[dateTime]"/><!-- 0..1 When the list was prepared -->
 <orderedBy><!-- 0..1 CodeableConcept What order the list has --></orderedBy>
 <mode value="[code]"/><!-- 1..1 working | snapshot | changes -->
 <note value="[string]"/><!-- 0..1 Comments about the list -->
 <entry>  <!-- ?? 0..* Entries in the list -->
  <flag><!-- 0..1 CodeableConcept Status/Workflow information about this item --></flag>
  <deleted value="[boolean]"/><!-- ?? 0..1 If this item is actually marked as deleted -->
  <date value="[dateTime]"/><!-- 0..1 When item added to list -->
  <item><!-- 1..1 Reference(Any) Actual entry --></item>
 </entry>
 <emptyReason><!-- ?? 0..1 CodeableConcept Why list is empty --></emptyReason>
</List>

 

Alternate definitions: Schema/Schematron, Resource Profile (XML, JSON), Questionnaire

6.1.3.1 Terminology Bindings

PathDefinitionTypeReference
List.code What the purpose of a list isExampleExample Use Codes for List
List.status The current state of the listRequiredListStatus
List.orderedBy What order applies to the items in a listPreferredList Order Codes
List.mode The processing mode that applies to this listRequiredListMode
List.entry.flag Codes that provide further information about the reason and meaning of the item in the listExamplePatient Medicine Change Types
List.emptyReason If a list is empty, why it is emptyPreferredList Empty Reasons

6.1.3.2 Constraints

  • lst-1: A list can only have an emptyReason if it is empty (xpath: not(exists(f:emptyReason) and exists(f:entry)))
  • lst-2: The deleted flag can only be used if the mode of the list is "changes" (xpath: (f:mode/@value = 'changes') or not(exists(f:entry/f:item/f:deleted)))

6.1.4 List Order

All lists are considered ordered - the order in which items literally appear in the list may be an important part of the meaning of the list. Reordering the items in a list may change the meaning of the list.

While a list always contains an ordered set of items, the signficance of the order may be unknown, or it may be insigificant. As an example, consider a list of patients for a practitioner to visit. The list may be in order, where the patients are to be visited in the stated order, or just an unsorted list of patients to be visited in any order.

The list resource has a property orderedBy that, if present, specifies the meaning of the item order. Note, though, that the meaning of the order may be known implicitly rather than specified in the orderedBy element.

Applications SHOULD NOT reorder the elements in a list unless they understand the impact of this on the meaning of the list.

6.1.5 List Mode & Item Deleted

There are several different kinds of uses for a List resource:

6.1.5.1 The processing mode that applies to this list

workingThis list is the master list, maintained in an ongoing fashion with regular updates as the real world list it is tracking changes
snapshotThis list was prepared as a snapshot. It should not be assumed to be current
changesA list that indicates where changes have been made or recommended

The most common mode is "snapshot" - a list that is accurate within the context it is used in but not current or maintained after that - e.g. medications on discharge in a discharge summary. Note that these lists usually have a status of 'current' - they were current when they were prepared. Some kinds of lists may be explicitly retired (particularly if mode = working), but most will not be maintained after creation.

A changes list may include deleted items. Some examples of change lists are a reconciled list of allergies and a discharge medication list - a list with new, updated and deleted items in it, though these may not be lists that include changes (this is an implementation decision). In order to ensure that the list is safe to process, any item where the flag implies that the item has actually been deleted SHALL have the deleted element set to true.

Note that there is no implication about the status of a resource that has been deleted. The only statement that is made is that the resource has been dropped from the list. However applications should ensure that the implication of adding or deleting items from the list is consistent with the logical status of the resource and its contents.

A proper use of List.mode = "changes" with a deleted resource is in a medications list for a discharge summary. See Example "med-list". An improper use would be if the list was a working list of patient medications in a clinical tracking system, and list item flags were used to implement version tracking history within the resource.

6.1.6 Narrative Content

The narrative portion of the List resource should contain a summary of the items in the list, their key information, along with a human-readable summary of their flags (if present). The narrative may be generated from the data content and/or narrative of the resources referred to in the list, or it may be a narrative written by a human which is partially or completely matched by structured data in the linked resources, or human written narrative may be the only content if the list has no entries (which would equate to a narrative only section in a document).

An HTML table is the recommended approach, though this is not required. Each List.item should appear in the narrative for the resource. I.e. It SHALL NOT be necessary to retrieve the list items in order to have a human-readable rendering of the content. In addition, if the List.text.status is "generated", then the narrative should not suggest the list contains items for which there are no corresponding List.item elements. If the list has flags, the representation should make clear use of visual hints (borders, lines, bullet marks, etc.) to ensure that human readers do not get confused about which flags belong with which item on space-poor displays (e.g. to prevent wrapping from separating the flags from the items).

Note that when a List resource is used in a Document, the narrative of the list is part of the attested content of the document.

In a dynamic environment, the narrative content of the list will be limited to the version of the linked resources at the time the list was last updated. It may be even earlier if the narrative isn't updated to reflect the most recent version of all referenced resources at each update. Best practice for 'working' lists is to update the narrative to reflect the most recent content of all list elements each time the list is revised. Lists should therefore not be relied on as a real-time view of the referenced content. There are a few possible approaches to work around this issue:

  • Provide minimal information about the listed resources, possibly limited to only a link. (Not recommended as this severely limits the usefulness of the narrative and is particularly problematic for things like documents where the only attested content might be the List narrative)
  • Include only "generated" narrative, so the retriever can easily generate their own "current" view of the list by retrieving the referenced resources, ignoring the fixed narrative.
  • The server hosting the list can subscribe to all referenced resources and auto-update the narrative each time one of the referenced resources changes (or at least on a semi-frequent basis)

6.1.7 Empty Reason

If the list is empty, there could be several different reasons why this is so. For example:

  • There are no appropriate entries for the list (i.e. the patient has no known medications/allergies/history)
  • The sender (human or system) deemed that these were not related to this context of patient care (usually for privacy related reasons)
  • The source system doesn't support these type of entries
  • The information to populate the list wasn't gathered - i.e. "Not asked"

Given these possibilities, and the common and significant first case, source systems SHOULD provide an empty reason if the list is empty. Because of the importance of this case, the special value "nil-known" should be used when there are no (significant) entries in this context of care. Note that this concept is sometimes described differently, such as "patient denies taking medications", or "patient was unable to identify any relevant medical history".

When receiving a list, systems should not assume that the list is complete (some entries may have been withheld for a variety of reasons), unless there are specific trading partner arrangements in place or, if the list is empty, that there are actually nil known, unless the "nil-known" code is present.

If the list is empty, the narrative should contain text equivalent to the empty reason.

6.1.8 Search Parameters

Search parameters for this resource. The common parameters also apply. See Searching for more information about searching in REST, messaging, and services.

NameTypeDescriptionPaths
codetokenWhat the purpose of this list isList.code
datedateWhen the list was preparedList.date
empty-reasontokenWhy list is emptyList.emptyReason
encounterreferenceContext in which list createdList.encounter
(Encounter)
itemreferenceActual entryList.entry.item
(Any)
notesstringComments about the listList.note
patientreferenceIf all resources have the same subjectList.subject
(Patient)
sourcereferenceWho and/or what defined the list contents (aka Author)List.source
(Device, Patient, Practitioner)
statustokencurrent | retired | entered-in-errorList.status
subjectreferenceIf all resources have the same subjectList.subject
(Device, Location, Patient, Group)
titlestringDescriptive name for the listList.title