Release 4

This page is part of the FHIR Specification (v4.0.1: R4 - Mixed Normative and STU) in it's permanent home (it will always be available at this URL). 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

FHIR Infrastructure Work GroupMaturity Level: N Normative (from v4.0.0)Security Category: Anonymous Compartments: Not linked to any defined compartments

Detailed Descriptions for the elements in the OperationDefinition resource.

OperationDefinition
Element IdOperationDefinition
Definition

A formal computable definition of an operation (on the RESTful interface) or a named query (using the search interaction).

Cardinality0..*
TypeDomainResource
Invariants
Defined on this element
opd-0Warning Name should be usable as an identifier for the module by machine processing applications such as code generationname.matches('[A-Z]([A-Za-z0-9_]){0,254}')
OperationDefinition.url
Element IdOperationDefinition.url
Definition

An absolute URI that is used to identify this operation definition 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 operation definition is (or will be) published. This URL can be the target of a canonical reference. It SHALL remain the same when the operation definition is stored on different servers.

Cardinality0..1
Typeuri
Requirements

Allows the operation definition to be referenced by a single globally unique identifier.

Summarytrue
Comments

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.

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 element to indicate where the current master source of the resource can be found.

OperationDefinition.version
Element IdOperationDefinition.version
Definition

The identifier that is used to identify this version of the operation definition when it is referenced in a specification, model, design or instance. This is an arbitrary value managed by the operation definition 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.

NoteThis is a business versionId, not a resource version id (see discussion)
Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Comments

There may be different operation definition 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 operation definition with the format [url]|[version].

OperationDefinition.name
Element IdOperationDefinition.name
Definition

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

Cardinality1..1
Typestring
Requirements

Support human navigation and code generation.

Summarytrue
Comments

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.

Invariants
Affect this element
inv-0Warning Name should be usable as an identifier for the module by machine processing applications such as code generationname.matches('[A-Z]([A-Za-z0-9_]){0,254}')
OperationDefinition.title
Element IdOperationDefinition.title
Definition

A short, descriptive, user-friendly title for the operation definition.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Comments

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

OperationDefinition.status
Element IdOperationDefinition.status
Definition

The status of this operation definition. Enables tracking the life-cycle of the content.

Cardinality1..1
Terminology BindingPublicationStatus (Required)
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue (Reason: This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not use a retired {{title}} without due consideration)
Summarytrue
Comments

Allows filtering of operation definitions that are appropriate for use versus not.

OperationDefinition.kind
Element IdOperationDefinition.kind
Definition

Whether this is an operation or a named query.

Cardinality1..1
Terminology BindingOperationKind (Required)
Typecode
Summarytrue
Comments

Named queries are invoked differently, and have different capabilities.

OperationDefinition.experimental
Element IdOperationDefinition.experimental
Definition

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

Cardinality0..1
Typeboolean
Requirements

Enables experimental content to be developed following the same lifecycle that would be used for a production-level operation definition.

Summarytrue
Comments

Allows filtering of operation definitions that are appropriate for use versus not.

OperationDefinition.date
Element IdOperationDefinition.date
Definition

The date (and optionally time) when the operation definition 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 operation definition changes.

Cardinality0..1
TypedateTime
Alternate NamesRevision Date
Summarytrue
Comments

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

OperationDefinition.publisher
Element IdOperationDefinition.publisher
Definition

The name of the organization or individual that published the operation definition.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Requirements

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

Summarytrue
Comments

Usually an organization but may be an individual. The publisher (or steward) of the operation definition is the organization or individual primarily responsible for the maintenance and upkeep of the operation definition. 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 operation definition. This item SHOULD be populated unless the information is available from context.

OperationDefinition.contact
Element IdOperationDefinition.contact
Definition

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

Cardinality0..*
TypeContactDetail
Summarytrue
Comments

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

OperationDefinition.description
Element IdOperationDefinition.description
Definition

A free text natural language description of the operation definition from a consumer's perspective.

Cardinality0..1
Typemarkdown
Comments

This description can be used to capture details such as why the operation definition 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 operation definition 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 operation definition is presumed to be the predominant language in the place the operation definition was created).

OperationDefinition.useContext
Element IdOperationDefinition.useContext
Definition

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 operation definition instances.

Cardinality0..*
TypeUsageContext
Requirements

Assist in searching for appropriate content.

Summarytrue
Comments

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

OperationDefinition.jurisdiction
Element IdOperationDefinition.jurisdiction
Definition

A legal or geographic region in which the operation definition is intended to be used.

Cardinality0..*
Terminology BindingJurisdiction (Extensible)
TypeCodeableConcept
Summarytrue
Comments

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

OperationDefinition.purpose
Element IdOperationDefinition.purpose
Definition

Explanation of why this operation definition is needed and why it has been designed as it has.

Cardinality0..1
Typemarkdown
Comments

This element does not describe the usage of the operation definition. 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 operation definition.

OperationDefinition.affectsState
Element IdOperationDefinition.affectsState
Definition

Whether the operation affects state. Side effects such as producing audit trail entries do not count as 'affecting state'.

Cardinality0..1
Typeboolean
Summarytrue
Comments

What http methods can be used for the operation depends on the .affectsState value and whether the input parameters are primitive or complex:

  1. Servers SHALL support POST method for all operations.

  2. Servers SHALL support GET method if all the parameters for the operation are primitive or there are no parameters and the operation has affectsState = false.

OperationDefinition.code
Element IdOperationDefinition.code
Definition

The name used to invoke the operation.

Cardinality1..1
Typecode
Summarytrue
OperationDefinition.comment
Element IdOperationDefinition.comment
Definition

Additional information about how to use this operation or named query.

Cardinality0..1
Typemarkdown
OperationDefinition.base
Element IdOperationDefinition.base
Definition

Indicates that this operation definition is a constraining profile on the base.

Cardinality0..1
Typecanonical(OperationDefinition)
Summarytrue
Comments

A constrained profile can make optional parameters required or not used and clarify documentation.

OperationDefinition.resource
Element IdOperationDefinition.resource
Definition

The types on which this operation can be executed.

Cardinality0..*
Terminology BindingAny defined Resource Type name
Typecode
Summarytrue
Comments

If the type is an abstract resource ("Resource" or "DomainResource") then the operation can be invoked on any concrete specialization.

OperationDefinition.system
Element IdOperationDefinition.system
Definition

Indicates whether this operation or named query can be invoked at the system level (e.g. without needing to choose a resource type for the context).

Cardinality1..1
Typeboolean
Summarytrue
OperationDefinition.type
Element IdOperationDefinition.type
Definition

Indicates whether this operation or named query can be invoked at the resource type level for any given resource type level (e.g. without needing to choose a specific resource id for the context).

Cardinality1..1
Typeboolean
Summarytrue
OperationDefinition.instance
Element IdOperationDefinition.instance
Definition

Indicates whether this operation can be invoked on a particular instance of one of the given types.

Cardinality1..1
Typeboolean
Summarytrue
OperationDefinition.inputProfile
Element IdOperationDefinition.inputProfile
Definition

Additional validation information for the in parameters - a single profile that covers all the parameters. The profile is a constraint on the parameters resource as a whole.

Cardinality0..1
Typecanonical(StructureDefinition)
Comments

If present the profile shall not conflict with what is specified in the parameters in the operation definition (max/min etc.), though it may provide additional constraints. The constraints expressed in the profile apply whether the operation is invoked by a POST wih parameters or not.

OperationDefinition.outputProfile
Element IdOperationDefinition.outputProfile
Definition

Additional validation information for the out parameters - a single profile that covers all the parameters. The profile is a constraint on the parameters resource.

Cardinality0..1
Typecanonical(StructureDefinition)
Comments

If present the profile shall not conflict with what is specified in the parameters in the operation definition (max/min etc.), though it may provide additional constraints. The constraints expressed in the profile apply whether the operation is invoked by a POST wih parameters or not.

OperationDefinition.parameter
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter
Definition

The parameters for the operation/query.

Cardinality0..*
Comments

Query Definitions only have one output parameter, named "result". This might not be described, but can be to allow a profile to be defined.

Invariants
Defined on this element
opd-1Rule Either a type must be provided, or partstype.exists() or part.exists()
opd-2Rule A search type can only be specified for parameters of type stringsearchType.exists() implies type = 'string'
opd-3Rule A targetProfile can only be specified for parameters of type Reference or CanonicaltargetProfile.exists() implies (type = 'Reference' or type = 'canonical')
OperationDefinition.parameter.name
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.name
Definition

The name of used to identify the parameter.

Cardinality1..1
Typecode
Comments

This name must be a token (start with a letter in a..z, and only contain letters, numerals, and underscore. Note that for search parameters (type = string, with a search type), the name may be altered by the search modifiers.

OperationDefinition.parameter.use
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.use
Definition

Whether this is an input or an output parameter.

Cardinality1..1
Terminology BindingOperationParameterUse (Required)
Typecode
Comments

If a parameter name is used for both an input and an output parameter, the parameter should be defined twice.

OperationDefinition.parameter.min
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.min
Definition

The minimum number of times this parameter SHALL appear in the request or response.

Cardinality1..1
Typeinteger
OperationDefinition.parameter.max
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.max
Definition

The maximum number of times this element is permitted to appear in the request or response.

Cardinality1..1
Typestring
OperationDefinition.parameter.documentation
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.documentation
Definition

Describes the meaning or use of this parameter.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
OperationDefinition.parameter.type
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.type
Definition

The type for this parameter.

Cardinality0..1
Terminology BindingAny defined Resource or Data Type name (including "Any" and "Type")
Typecode
Comments

if there is no stated parameter, then the parameter is a multi-part parameter; type and must have at least one part defined.

Invariants
Affect this element
opd-1Rule Either a type must be provided, or partstype.exists() or part.exists()
OperationDefinition.parameter.targetProfile
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.targetProfile
Definition

Used when the type is "Reference" or "canonical", and identifies a profile structure or implementation Guide that applies to the target of the reference this parameter refers to. If any profiles are specified, then the content must conform to at least one of them. The URL can be a local reference - to a contained StructureDefinition, or a reference to another StructureDefinition or Implementation Guide by a canonical URL. When an implementation guide is specified, the target resource SHALL conform to at least one profile defined in the implementation guide.

Cardinality0..*
Typecanonical(StructureDefinition)
Comments

Often, these profiles are the base definitions from the spec (e.g. http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/Patient).

OperationDefinition.parameter.searchType
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.searchType
Definition

How the parameter is understood as a search parameter. This is only used if the parameter type is 'string'.

Cardinality0..1
Terminology BindingSearchParamType (Required)
Typecode
Invariants
Affect this element
opd-2Rule A search type can only be specified for parameters of type stringsearchType.exists() implies type = 'string'
OperationDefinition.parameter.binding
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.binding
Definition

Binds to a value set if this parameter is coded (code, Coding, CodeableConcept).

Cardinality0..1
OperationDefinition.parameter.binding.strength
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.binding.strength
Definition

Indicates the degree of conformance expectations associated with this binding - that is, the degree to which the provided value set must be adhered to in the instances.

Cardinality1..1
Terminology BindingBindingStrength (Required)
Typecode
Alternate Namesconformance; extensibility
Comments

For further discussion, see Using Terminologies.

OperationDefinition.parameter.binding.valueSet
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.binding.valueSet
Definition

Points to the value set or external definition (e.g. implicit value set) that identifies the set of codes to be used.

Cardinality1..1
Typecanonical(ValueSet)
Comments

For value sets with a referenceResource, the display can contain the value set description. The reference may be version-specific or not.

OperationDefinition.parameter.referencedFrom
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.referencedFrom
Definition

Identifies other resource parameters within the operation invocation that are expected to resolve to this resource.

Cardinality0..*
Comments

Resolution applies if the referenced parameter exists.

OperationDefinition.parameter.referencedFrom.source
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.referencedFrom.source
Definition

The name of the parameter or dot-separated path of parameter names pointing to the resource parameter that is expected to contain a reference to this resource.

Cardinality1..1
Typestring
OperationDefinition.parameter.referencedFrom.sourceId
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.referencedFrom.sourceId
Definition

The id of the element in the referencing resource that is expected to resolve to this resource.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
OperationDefinition.parameter.part
Element IdOperationDefinition.parameter.part
Definition

The parts of a nested Parameter.

Cardinality0..*
TypeSee OperationDefinition.parameter
Comments

Query Definitions only have one output parameter, named "result". This might not be described, but can be to allow a profile to be defined.

Invariants
Affect this element
opd-1Rule Either a type must be provided, or partstype.exists() or part.exists()
OperationDefinition.overload
Element IdOperationDefinition.overload
Definition

Defines an appropriate combination of parameters to use when invoking this operation, to help code generators when generating overloaded parameter sets for this operation.

Cardinality0..*
Comments

The combinations are suggestions as to which sets of parameters to use together, but the combinations are not intended to be authoritative.

OperationDefinition.overload.parameterName
Element IdOperationDefinition.overload.parameterName
Definition

Name of parameter to include in overload.

Cardinality0..*
Typestring
OperationDefinition.overload.comment
Element IdOperationDefinition.overload.comment
Definition

Comments to go on overload.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring