FHIR Extensions Pack
5.3.0-ballot - (September 2025 Ballot) International flag

This page is part of the FHIR Core Extensions Registry (v5.3.0-ballot: Release 5.3) based on FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) v5.0.0. This version is a pre-release. The current official version is 5.2.0. For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions

Extension: Observation Focal Subject Code

Official URL: http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/observation-focusCode Version: 5.3.0-ballot
Standards status: Deprecated Maturity Level: 3 Responsible: HL7 International / Orders and Observations Computable Name: ObsFocusCode
Other Identifiers: OID:2.16.840.1.113883.4.642.5.1475

This extension is deprecated. There are alternate ways to represent this information through the use of Observation.focus and the elements of the referenced Resource. Old description: A code representing the focus of an observation when the focus is not the patient of record. In other words, the focus of the observation is different from Observation.subject. An example use case would be using the Observation resource to capture whether the mother is trained to change her child's tracheostomy tube. In this example, the child is the patient of record and the mother is focal subject referenced using this extension. Other example focal subjects include spouses, related persons, feti, or donors.

Context of Use

This extension is deprecated and should no longer be used

This extension is deprecated. There are alternate ways to represent this information through the use of Observation.focus and the elements of the referenced Resource

This extension may be used on the following element(s)

Usage info

Usages:

  • This Extension is not used by any profiles in this Implementation Guide

You can also check for usages in the FHIR IG Statistics

Changes since version 5.2.0:

  • No changes

    • Formal Views of Extension Content

    Description of Profiles, Differentials, Snapshots, and how the XML and JSON presentations work.

    This structure is derived from Extension

    Summary

    Simple Extension with the type CodeableConcept: This extension is deprecated. There are alternate ways to represent this information through the use of Observation.focus and the elements of the referenced Resource. Old description: A code representing the focus of an observation when the focus is not the patient of record. In other words, the focus of the observation is different from Observation.subject. An example use case would be using the Observation resource to capture whether the mother is trained to change her child's tracheostomy tube. In this example, the child is the patient of record and the mother is focal subject referenced using this extension. Other example focal subjects include spouses, related persons, feti, or donors.

    Maturity: 3

    This structure is derived from Extension

    NameFlagsCard.TypeDescription & Constraints    Filter: Filtersdoco
    .. Extension 0..1 Extension Focus Code
    ... extension 0..0
    ... url 1..1 uri "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/observation-focusCode"
    ... value[x] 1..1 CodeableConcept Value of extension
    Binding: FocalSubjectCodes (example): Derived from both HL7 v3 and SNOMED CT code systems

    doco Documentation for this format
    NameFlagsCard.TypeDescription & Constraints    Filter: Filtersdoco
    .. Extension 0..1 Extension Focus Code
    ... id 0..1 id Unique id for inter-element referencing
    ... extension 0..0
    ... url 1..1 uri "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/observation-focusCode"

    doco Documentation for this format

    This structure is derived from Extension

    Summary

    Simple Extension with the type CodeableConcept: This extension is deprecated. There are alternate ways to represent this information through the use of Observation.focus and the elements of the referenced Resource. Old description: A code representing the focus of an observation when the focus is not the patient of record. In other words, the focus of the observation is different from Observation.subject. An example use case would be using the Observation resource to capture whether the mother is trained to change her child's tracheostomy tube. In this example, the child is the patient of record and the mother is focal subject referenced using this extension. Other example focal subjects include spouses, related persons, feti, or donors.

    Maturity: 3

    Differential View

    This structure is derived from Extension

    NameFlagsCard.TypeDescription & Constraints    Filter: Filtersdoco
    .. Extension 0..1 Extension Focus Code
    ... extension 0..0
    ... url 1..1 uri "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/observation-focusCode"
    ... value[x] 1..1 CodeableConcept Value of extension
    Binding: FocalSubjectCodes (example): Derived from both HL7 v3 and SNOMED CT code systems

    doco Documentation for this format

    Snapshot View

    NameFlagsCard.TypeDescription & Constraints    Filter: Filtersdoco
    .. Extension 0..1 Extension Focus Code
    ... id 0..1 id Unique id for inter-element referencing
    ... extension 0..0
    ... url 1..1 uri "http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/observation-focusCode"

    doco Documentation for this format

     

    Other representations of profile: CSV, Excel, Schematron

    Terminology Bindings

    PathConformanceValueSetURI
    Extension.value[x]exampleFocalSubjectCodes
    http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/focal-subject
    From this IG

    Constraints

    IdGradePath(s)DetailsRequirements
    ele-1error**ALL** elementsAll FHIR elements must have a @value or children
    : hasValue() or (children().count() > id.count())
    ext-1error**ALL** extensionsMust have either extensions or value[x], not both
    : extension.exists() != value.exists()

    R4B

    The extension is unchanged in R4B

    R4

    The extension is unchanged in R4

    R3

    The extension is unchanged in R3

    Search Parameters for this Extension

    (none found)