Provenance of a resource is a record that describes entities and processes involved in producing and delivering or otherwise influencing that resource. Provenance provides a critical foundation for assessing authenticity, enabling trust, and allowing reproducibility. Provenance assertions are a form of contextual metadata and can themselves become important records with their own provenance. Provenance statement indicates clinical significance in terms of confidence in authenticity, reliability, and trustworthiness, integrity, and stage in lifecycle (e.g. Document Completion - has the artifact been legally authenticated), all of which may impact security, privacy, and trust policies.

Some parties may be duplicated between the target resource and its provenance. For instance, the prescriber is usually (but not always) the author of the prescription resource. This resource is defined with close consideration for W3C Provenance.

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.

The Reference(s) that were generated or updated by the activity described in this resource. A provenance can point to more than one target if multiple resources were created/updated by the same activity.

Target references are usually version specific, but might not be, if a version has not been assigned or if the provenance information is part of the set of resources being maintained (i.e. a document). When using the RESTful API, the identity of the resource might not be known (especially not the version specific one); the client may either submit the resource first, and then the provenance, or it may submit both using a single transaction. See the notes on transaction for further discussion.

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.target additional types from child elements (display, identifier, reference)

Element Provenance.target is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.target as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.target do not cover the following types based on type expansion: display, identifier, reference. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.target with unmapped reference targets: Resource. Target references are usually version specific, but may not be, if a version has not been assigned or if the provenance information is part of the set of resources being maintained (i.e. a document). When using the RESTful API, the identity of the resource may not be known (especially not the version specific one); the client may either submit the resource first, and then the provenance, or it may submit both using a single transaction. See the notes on transaction for further discussion.

The instant of time at which the activity was recorded.

This can be a little different from the time stamp on the resource if there is a delay between recording the event and updating the provenance and target resource.

An actor taking a role in an activity for which it can be assigned some degree of responsibility for the activity taking place.

Several agents may be associated (i.e. has some responsibility for an activity) with an activity and vice-versa.

An agent can be a person, an organization, software, device, or other entities that may be ascribed responsibility.

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.agent.relatedAgentType (new:CodeableConcept)

Element Provenance.agent.relatedAgentType has a context of Provenance.agent based on following the parent source element upwards and mapping to Provenance. Element Provenance.agent.relatedAgentType has no mapping targets in FHIR R4B. Typically, this is because the element has been added (is a new element).

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 individual, device or organization that participated in the event.

whoIdentity should be used when the agent is not a Resource type.

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.agent.who[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.who[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.who as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.who[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.who[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

STU3: Provenance.agent.who[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.who[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.who as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.who[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.who[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

STU3: Provenance.meta additional types (Meta) additional types from child elements (lastUpdated, profile, security, tag, versionId)

Element Provenance.meta is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.meta as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.meta do not cover the following types: Meta. The mappings for Provenance.meta do not cover the following types based on type expansion: lastUpdated, profile, security, tag, versionId.

STU3: Provenance.text additional types (Narrative) additional types from child elements (div, status)

Element Provenance.text is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.text as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.text do not cover the following types: Narrative. The mappings for Provenance.text do not cover the following types based on type expansion: div, status. 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 in formation is added later.

STU3: Provenance.target additional types from child elements (display, identifier, reference)

Element Provenance.target is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.target as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.target do not cover the following types based on type expansion: display, identifier, reference. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.target with unmapped reference targets: Resource. Target references are usually version specific, but may not be, if a version has not been assigned or if the provenance information is part of the set of resources being maintained (i.e. a document). When using the RESTful API, the identity of the resource may not be known (especially not the version specific one); the client may either submit the resource first, and then the provenance, or it may submit both using a single transaction. See the notes on transaction for further discussion.

STU3: Provenance.location additional types from child elements (display, identifier, reference)

Element Provenance.location is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.location as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.location do not cover the following types based on type expansion: display, identifier, reference. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.location with unmapped reference targets: Location.

STU3: Provenance.agent.relatedAgentType (new:CodeableConcept)

Element Provenance.agent.relatedAgentType has a context of Provenance.agent based on following the parent source element upwards and mapping to Provenance. Element Provenance.agent.relatedAgentType has no mapping targets in FHIR R4B. Typically, this is because the element has been added (is a new element).

STU3: Provenance.agent.who[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.who[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.who as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.who[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.who[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

STU3: Provenance.agent.who[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.who[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.who as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.who[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.who[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

STU3: Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

STU3: Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

STU3: Provenance.entity.what[x] additional types (uri, Identifier)

Element Provenance.entity.what[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.entity.what as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.entity.what[x] do not cover the following types: Identifier, uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.entity.what[x] with unmapped reference targets: Resource. Identity may be a reference to a resource or to something else, depending on the type.

STU3: Provenance.entity.what[x] additional types (uri, Identifier)

Element Provenance.entity.what[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.entity.what as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.entity.what[x] do not cover the following types: Identifier, uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.entity.what[x] with unmapped reference targets: Resource. Identity may be a reference to a resource or to something else, depending on the type.

STU3: Provenance.signature additional types (Signature) additional types from child elements (blob, contentType, onBehalfOf[x], type, when, who[x])

Element Provenance.signature is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.signature as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.signature do not cover the following types: Signature. The mappings for Provenance.signature do not cover the following types based on type expansion: blob, contentType, onBehalfOf[x], type, when, who[x].

Provenance of a resource is a record that describes entities and processes involved in producing and delivering or otherwise influencing that resource. Provenance provides a critical foundation for assessing authenticity, enabling trust, and allowing reproducibility. Provenance assertions are a form of contextual metadata and can themselves become important records with their own provenance. Provenance statement indicates clinical significance in terms of confidence in authenticity, reliability, and trustworthiness, integrity, and stage in lifecycle (e.g. Document Completion - has the artifact been legally authenticated), all of which may impact security, privacy, and trust policies.

Some parties may be duplicated between the target resource and its provenance. For instance, the prescriber is usually (but not always) the author of the prescription resource. This resource is defined with close consideration for W3C Provenance.

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.

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

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.meta additional types (Meta) additional types from child elements (lastUpdated, profile, security, tag, versionId)

Element Provenance.meta is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.meta as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.meta do not cover the following types: Meta. The mappings for Provenance.meta do not cover the following types based on type expansion: lastUpdated, profile, security, tag, versionId.

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.

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.

When the resource last changed - e.g. when the version changed.

This value is always populated except when the resource is first being created. 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.

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.

In the provenance resource, this corresponds to Provenance.entity.what[x]. The exact use of the source (and the implied Provenance.entity.role) is left to implementer discretion. Only one nominated source is allowed; for additional provenance details, a full Provenance resource should be used.

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.

A list of profiles (references to StructureDefinition resources) that this resource claims to conform to. The URL is a reference to StructureDefinition.url.

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.

Security labels applied to this resource. These tags connect specific resources to the overall security policy and infrastructure.

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.

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.

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.

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).

IETF language tag

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.

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

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.text additional types (Narrative) additional types from child elements (div, status)

Element Provenance.text is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.text as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.text do not cover the following types: Narrative. The mappings for Provenance.text do not cover the following types based on type expansion: div, status. 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 in formation is added later.

The status of the narrative - whether it's entirely generated (from just the defined data or the extensions too), or whether a human authored it and it may contain additional data.

The actual narrative content, a stripped down version of XHTML.

The contents of the html element are an XHTML fragment containing only the basic html formatting elements described in chapters 7-11 and 15 of the HTML 4.0 standard, <a> elements (either name or href), images and internally contained stylesheets. The XHTML content SHALL NOT contain a head, a body, external stylesheet references, scripts, forms, base/link/xlink, frames, iframes and objects.

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.

The Reference(s) that were generated or updated by the activity described in this resource. A provenance can point to more than one target if multiple resources were created/updated by the same activity.

Target references are usually version specific, but might not be, if a version has not been assigned or if the provenance information is part of the set of resources being maintained (i.e. a document). When using the RESTful API, the identity of the resource might not be known (especially not the version specific one); the client may either submit the resource first, and then the provenance, or it may submit both using a single transaction. See the notes on transaction for further discussion.

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

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.target additional types from child elements (display, identifier, reference)

Element Provenance.target is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.target as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.target do not cover the following types based on type expansion: display, identifier, reference. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.target with unmapped reference targets: Resource. Target references are usually version specific, but may not be, if a version has not been assigned or if the provenance information is part of the set of resources being maintained (i.e. a document). When using the RESTful API, the identity of the resource may not be known (especially not the version specific one); the client may either submit the resource first, and then the provenance, or it may submit both using a single transaction. See the notes on transaction for further discussion.

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.

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.

The period during which the activity occurred.

The period can be a little arbitrary; where possible, the time should correspond to human assessment of the activity time.

The instant of time at which the activity was recorded.

This can be a little different from the time stamp on the resource if there is a delay between recording the event and updating the provenance and target resource.

Policy or plan the activity was defined by. Typically, a single activity may have multiple applicable policy documents, such as patient consent, guarantor funding, etc.

For example: Where an OAuth token authorizes, the unique identifier from the OAuth token is placed into the policy element Where a policy engine (e.g. XACML) holds policy logic, the unique policy identifier is placed into the policy element.

Where the activity occurred, if relevant.

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

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.location additional types from child elements (display, identifier, reference)

Element Provenance.location is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.location as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.location do not cover the following types based on type expansion: display, identifier, reference. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.location with unmapped reference targets: Location.

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.

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.

The reason that the activity was taking place.

The reason the activity took place.

An activity is something that occurs over a period of time and acts upon or with entities; it may include consuming, processing, transforming, modifying, relocating, using, or generating entities.

The activity that took place.

An actor taking a role in an activity for which it can be assigned some degree of responsibility for the activity taking place.

Several agents may be associated (i.e. has some responsibility for an activity) with an activity and vice-versa.

An agent can be a person, an organization, software, device, or other entities that may be ascribed responsibility.

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

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.agent.relatedAgentType (new:CodeableConcept)

Element Provenance.agent.relatedAgentType has a context of Provenance.agent based on following the parent source element upwards and mapping to Provenance. Element Provenance.agent.relatedAgentType has no mapping targets in FHIR R4B. Typically, this is because the element has been added (is a new element).

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 participation the agent had with respect to the activity.

For example: author, performer, enterer, attester, etc.

The type of participation that a provenance agent played with respect to the activity.

The function of the agent with respect to the activity. The security role enabling the agent with respect to the activity.

For example: doctor, nurse, clerk, etc.

The role that a provenance agent played with respect to the activity.

The individual, device or organization that participated in the event.

whoIdentity should be used when the agent is not a Resource type.

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

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.agent.who[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.who[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.who as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.who[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.who[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

STU3: Provenance.agent.who[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.who[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.who as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.who[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.who[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

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.

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.

The individual, device, or organization for whom the change was made.

onBehalfOfIdentity should be used when the agent is not a Resource type.

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

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

STU3: Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] additional types (uri)

Element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] do not cover the following types: uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.agent.onBehalfOf[x] with unmapped reference targets: Device, Organization, Patient, Practitioner, RelatedPerson.

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.

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.

An entity used in this activity.

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.

How the entity was used during the activity.

How an entity was used in an activity.

Identity of the Entity used. May be a logical or physical uri and maybe absolute or relative.

whatIdentity should be used for entities that are not a Resource type.

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

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.entity.what[x] additional types (uri, Identifier)

Element Provenance.entity.what[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.entity.what as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.entity.what[x] do not cover the following types: Identifier, uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.entity.what[x] with unmapped reference targets: Resource. Identity may be a reference to a resource or to something else, depending on the type.

STU3: Provenance.entity.what[x] additional types (uri, Identifier)

Element Provenance.entity.what[x] is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.entity.what as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.entity.what[x] do not cover the following types: Identifier, uri. The standard extension alternate-reference has been mapped as PART of the representation of FHIR STU3 element Provenance.entity.what[x] with unmapped reference targets: Resource. Identity may be a reference to a resource or to something else, depending on the type.

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.

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.

The entity is attributed to an agent to express the agent's responsibility for that entity, possibly along with other agents. This description can be understood as shorthand for saying that the agent was responsible for the activity which generated the entity.

A usecase where one Provenance.entity.agent is used where the Entity that was used in the creation/updating of the Target, is not in the context of the same custodianship as the Target, and thus the meaning of Provenance.entity.agent is to say that the entity referenced is managed elsewhere and that this Agent provided access to it. This would be similar to where the Entity being referenced is managed outside FHIR, such as through HL7 v2, v3, or XDS. This might be where the Entity being referenced is managed in another FHIR resource server. Thus it explains the Provenance of that Entity's use in the context of this Provenance activity.

A digital signature on the target Reference(s). The signer should match a Provenance.agent. The purpose of the signature is indicated.

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

An Extension

STU3: Provenance.signature additional types (Signature) additional types from child elements (blob, contentType, onBehalfOf[x], type, when, who[x])

Element Provenance.signature is mapped to FHIR R4B element Provenance.signature as SourceIsBroaderThanTarget. The mappings for Provenance.signature do not cover the following types: Signature. The mappings for Provenance.signature do not cover the following types based on type expansion: blob, contentType, onBehalfOf[x], type, when, who[x].

An indication of the reason that the entity signed this document. This may be explicitly included as part of the signature information and can be used when determining accountability for various actions concerning the document.

Examples include attesting to: authorship, correct transcription, and witness of specific event. Also known as a "Commitment Type Indication".

When the digital signature was signed.

This should agree with the information in the signature.

A reference to an application-usable description of the identity that signed (e.g. the signature used their private key).

This should agree with the information in the signature.

A reference to an application-usable description of the identity that is represented by the signature.

The party that can't sign. For example a child.

used when the signature is on behalf of a non-signer.

A mime type that indicates the technical format of the target resources signed by the signature.

"xml", "json" and "ttl" are allowed, which describe the simple encodings described in the specification (and imply appropriate bundle support). Otherwise, mime types are legal here.

BCP 13 (RFCs 2045, 2046, 2047, 4288, 4289 and 2049)

A mime type that indicates the technical format of the signature. Important mime types are application/signature+xml for X ML DigSig, application/jose for JWS, and image/* for a graphical image of a signature, etc.

BCP 13 (RFCs 2045, 2046, 2047, 4288, 4289 and 2049)

The base64 encoding of the Signature content. When signature is not recorded electronically this element would be empty.

Where the signature type is an XML DigSig, the signed content is a FHIR Resource(s), the signature is of the XML form of the Resource(s) using XML-Signature (XMLDIG) "Detached Signature" form.