This page is part of the FHIR Specification (v5.0.0: R5 - STU). This is the current published version. For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions . Page versions: R5 R4B R4 R3 R2
FHIR Infrastructure Work Group | Maturity Level: N | Normative (from v4.0.0) | Security Category: N/A | Compartments: No defined compartments |
Detailed Descriptions for the elements in the Base Resource Definitions.
Resource | |||||
Definition | This is the base resource type for everything. | ||||
Short Display | Base Resource | ||||
Cardinality | 0..* | ||||
Type | Base | ||||
Summary | false | ||||
Resource.id | |||||
Definition | The logical id of the resource, as used in the URL for the resource. Once assigned, this value never changes. | ||||
Short Display | Logical id of this artifact | ||||
Cardinality | 0..1 | ||||
Type | id | ||||
Summary | true | ||||
Comments | Within the context of the FHIR RESTful interactions, the resource has an id except for cases like the create and conditional update. Otherwise, the use of the resouce id depends on the given use case. | ||||
Resource.meta | |||||
Definition | 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. | ||||
Short Display | Metadata about the resource | ||||
Cardinality | 0..1 | ||||
Type | Meta | ||||
Summary | true | ||||
Resource.implicitRules | |||||
Definition | 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. | ||||
Short Display | A set of rules under which this content was created | ||||
Cardinality | 0..1 | ||||
Type | uri | ||||
Is Modifier | true (Reason: This element is labeled as a modifier because the implicit rules may provide additional knowledge about the resource that modifies its meaning or interpretation) | ||||
Summary | true | ||||
Comments | 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 its narrative along with other profiles, value sets, etc. | ||||
Resource.language | |||||
Definition | The base language in which the resource is written. | ||||
Short Display | Language of the resource content | ||||
Cardinality | 0..1 | ||||
Terminology Binding | All Languages (Required)
| ||||
Type | code | ||||
Summary | false | ||||
Comments | 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). |
FHIR Infrastructure Work Group | Maturity Level: 5 | Standards Status: Normative |
See also Base Definition, Profiles, Extensions and R4 Conversions
Meta | |
Standards Status | This element has a standards status of "Normative" |
Element Id | Meta |
Definition | The metadata about a resource. This is content in the resource that is maintained by the infrastructure. Changes to the content might not always be associated with version changes to the resource. |
Short Display | Metadata about a resource |
Cardinality | 0..* |
Type | DataType |
Summary | true |
Meta.versionId | |
Element Id | Meta.versionId |
Definition | The version specific identifier, as it appears in the version portion of the URL. This value changes when the resource is created, updated, or deleted. |
Short Display | Version specific identifier |
Cardinality | 0..1 |
Type | id |
Summary | true |
Comments | The server assigns this value, and ignores what the client specifies, except in the case that the server is imposing version integrity on updates/deletes. |
Meta.lastUpdated | |
Element Id | Meta.lastUpdated |
Definition | When the resource last changed - e.g. when the version changed. |
Short Display | When the resource version last changed |
Cardinality | 0..1 |
Type | instant |
Summary | true |
Comments | This element is generally omitted in instances submitted in a PUT or POST. Instead, it is populated in the response instance and when retrieving information using a GET. The server / resource manager sets this value; what a client provides is irrelevant. This is equivalent to the HTTP Last-Modified and SHOULD have the same value on a read interaction. |
Meta.source | |
Element Id | Meta.source |
Definition | A uri that identifies the source system of the resource. This provides a minimal amount of Provenance information that can be used to track or differentiate the source of information in the resource. The source may identify another FHIR server, document, message, database, etc. |
Short Display | Identifies where the resource comes from |
Cardinality | 0..1 |
Type | uri |
Summary | true |
Comments | The exact use of the source (and the possible implied Provenance.entity.role and agent.role) is left to implementer discretion. Only one nominated source is allowed; for additional provenance details, a full Provenance resource should be used. The source may correspond to Provenance.entity.what[x] or Provenance.agent.who[x], though it may be a more general or abstract reference. This element can be used to indicate where the current master source of a resource that has a canonical URL if the resource is no longer hosted at the canonical URL. |
Meta.profile | |
Element Id | Meta.profile |
Definition | A list of profiles (references to StructureDefinition resources) that this resource claims to conform to. The URL is a reference to StructureDefinition.url. |
Short Display | Profiles this resource claims to conform to |
Cardinality | 0..* |
Type | canonical(StructureDefinition) |
Summary | true |
Comments | It is up to the server and/or other infrastructure of policy to determine whether/how these claims are verified and/or updated over time. The list of profile URLs is a set. |
Meta.security | |
Element Id | Meta.security |
Definition | Security labels applied to this resource. These tags connect specific resources to the overall security policy and infrastructure. |
Short Display | Security Labels applied to this resource |
Cardinality | 0..* |
Terminology Binding | All Security Labels (Extensible) |
Type | Coding |
Summary | true |
Comments | The security labels can be updated without changing the stated version of the resource. The list of security labels is a set. Uniqueness is based the system/code, and version and display are ignored. |
Meta.tag | |
Element Id | Meta.tag |
Definition | Tags applied to this resource. Tags are intended to be used to identify and relate resources to process and workflow, and applications are not required to consider the tags when interpreting the meaning of a resource. |
Short Display | Tags applied to this resource |
Cardinality | 0..* |
Terminology Binding | Common Tags (Example) |
Type | Coding |
Summary | true |
Comments | The tags can be updated without changing the stated version of the resource. The list of tags is a set. Uniqueness is based the system/code, and version and display are ignored. |