Release 5

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

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Detailed Descriptions for the elements in the MessageDefinition resource.

MessageDefinition
Element IdMessageDefinition
Definition

Defines the characteristics of a message that can be shared between systems, including the type of event that initiates the message, the content to be transmitted and what response(s), if any, are permitted.

Short DisplayA resource that defines a type of message that can be exchanged between systems
Cardinality0..*
TypeCanonicalResource
Requirements

Allows messages to be defined once and re-used across systems.

Summaryfalse
Comments

This would be a MIF-level artifact.

Invariants
Defined on this element
cnl-0Warning Name should be usable as an identifier for the module by machine processing applications such as code generationname.exists() implies name.matches('^[A-Z]([A-Za-z0-9_]){1,254}$')
MessageDefinition.url
Element IdMessageDefinition.url
Definition

The business identifier that is used to reference the MessageDefinition and is expected to be consistent from server to server.

Short DisplayThe cannonical URL for a given MessageDefinition
Cardinality0..1
Typeuri
Requirements

Allows the message 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.

Invariants
Defined on this element
cnl-1Warning URL should not contain | or # - these characters make processing canonical references problematicexists() implies matches('^[^|# ]+$')
MessageDefinition.identifier
Element IdMessageDefinition.identifier
Definition

A formal identifier that is used to identify this message definition when it is represented in other formats, or referenced in a specification, model, design or an instance.

Short DisplayBusiness Identifier for a given MessageDefinition
NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Cardinality0..*
TypeIdentifier
Requirements

Allows externally provided and/or usable business identifiers to be easily associated with the module.

Summarytrue
Comments

Typically, this is used for identifiers that can go in an HL7 V3 II (instance identifier) data type, and can then identify this message definition outside of FHIR, where it is not possible to use the logical URI.

MessageDefinition.version
Element IdMessageDefinition.version
Definition

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

Short DisplayBusiness version of the message definition
NoteThis is a business versionId, not a resource version id (see discussion)
Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Comments

There may be different message 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 message definition with the format [url]|[version]. The version SHOULD NOT contain a '#' - see Business Version.

MessageDefinition.versionAlgorithm[x]
Element IdMessageDefinition.versionAlgorithm[x]
Definition

Indicates the mechanism used to compare versions to determine which is more current.

Short DisplayHow to compare versions
Cardinality0..1
Terminology BindingVersion Algorithm (Extensible)
Typestring|Coding
[x] NoteSee Choice of Datatypes for further information about how to use [x]
Summarytrue
Comments

If set as a string, this is a FHIRPath expression that has two additional context variables passed in - %version1 and %version2 and will return a negative number if version1 is newer, a positive number if version2 and a 0 if the version ordering can't be successfully be determined.

MessageDefinition.name
Element IdMessageDefinition.name
Definition

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

Short DisplayName for this message definition (computer friendly)
Cardinality0..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
cnl-0Warning Name should be usable as an identifier for the module by machine processing applications such as code generationname.exists() implies name.matches('^[A-Z]([A-Za-z0-9_]){1,254}$')
MessageDefinition.title
Element IdMessageDefinition.title
Definition

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

Short DisplayName for this message definition (human friendly)
Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Comments

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

MessageDefinition.replaces
Element IdMessageDefinition.replaces
Definition

A MessageDefinition that is superseded by this definition.

Short DisplayTakes the place of
Cardinality0..*
Typecanonical(MessageDefinition)
Summarytrue
MessageDefinition.status
Element IdMessageDefinition.status
Definition

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

Short Displaydraft | active | retired | unknown
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 message definitions that are appropriate for use versus not.

See guidance around (not) making local changes to elements here.

MessageDefinition.experimental
Element IdMessageDefinition.experimental
Definition

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

Short DisplayFor testing purposes, not real usage
Cardinality0..1
Typeboolean
Meaning if MissingIf absent, this resource is treated as though it is not experimental.
Requirements

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

Summarytrue
Comments

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

MessageDefinition.date
Element IdMessageDefinition.date
Definition

The date (and optionally time) when the message definition was last significantly changed. 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 message definition changes.

Short DisplayDate last changed
Cardinality1..1
TypedateTime
Alternate NamesRevision Date
Summarytrue
Comments

The date is often not tracked until the resource is published, but may be present on draft content. Note that this is not the same as the resource last-modified-date, since the resource may be a secondary representation of the message definition. Additional specific dates may be added as extensions or be found by consulting Provenances associated with past versions of the resource.

See guidance around (not) making local changes to elements here.

MessageDefinition.publisher
Element IdMessageDefinition.publisher
Definition

The name of the organization or individual responsible for the release and ongoing maintenance of the message definition.

Short DisplayName of the publisher/steward (organization or individual)
Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Requirements

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

Summarytrue
Comments

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

MessageDefinition.contact
Element IdMessageDefinition.contact
Definition

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

Short DisplayContact details for the publisher
Cardinality0..*
TypeContactDetail
Summarytrue
Comments

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

See guidance around (not) making local changes to elements here.

MessageDefinition.description
Element IdMessageDefinition.description
Definition

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

Short DisplayNatural language description of the message definition
Cardinality0..1
Typemarkdown
Summarytrue
Comments

This description can be used to capture details such as comments about misuse, instructions for clinical use and interpretation, literature references, examples from the paper world, etc. It is not a rendering of the message 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 message definition is presumed to be the predominant language in the place the message definition was created).

MessageDefinition.useContext
Element IdMessageDefinition.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 message definition instances.

Short DisplayThe context that the content is intended to support
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.

MessageDefinition.jurisdiction
Standards StatusThis element has a standards status of "Deprecated" which is different from the status of the whole resource
Element IdMessageDefinition.jurisdiction
Definition

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

Short DisplayIntended jurisdiction for message definition (if applicable)
Cardinality0..*
Terminology BindingJurisdiction ValueSet (Extensible)
TypeCodeableConcept
Summarytrue
Comments

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

DEPRECATION NOTE: For consistency, implementations are encouraged to migrate to using the new 'jurisdiction' code in the useContext element. (I.e. useContext.code indicating http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/usage-context-type#jurisdiction and useContext.valueCodeableConcept indicating the jurisdiction.)

MessageDefinition.purpose
Element IdMessageDefinition.purpose
Definition

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

Short DisplayWhy this message definition is defined
Cardinality0..1
Typemarkdown
Summarytrue
Comments

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

MessageDefinition.copyright
Element IdMessageDefinition.copyright
Definition

A copyright statement relating to the message definition and/or its contents. Copyright statements are generally legal restrictions on the use and publishing of the message definition.

Short DisplayUse and/or publishing restrictions
Cardinality0..1
Typemarkdown
Requirements

Consumers must be able to determine any legal restrictions on the use of the message definition and/or its content.

Alternate NamesLicense; Restrictions
Summaryfalse
MessageDefinition.copyrightLabel
Element IdMessageDefinition.copyrightLabel
Definition

A short string (<50 characters), suitable for inclusion in a page footer that identifies the copyright holder, effective period, and optionally whether rights are resctricted. (e.g. 'All rights reserved', 'Some rights reserved').

Short DisplayCopyright holder and year(s)
Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Requirements

Defines the content expected to be rendered in all representations of the artifact.

Summaryfalse
Comments

The (c) symbol should NOT be included in this string. It will be added by software when rendering the notation. Full details about licensing, restrictions, warrantees, etc. goes in the more general 'copyright' element.

MessageDefinition.base
Element IdMessageDefinition.base
Definition

The MessageDefinition that is the basis for the contents of this resource.

Short DisplayDefinition this one is based on
Cardinality0..1
Typecanonical(MessageDefinition)
Summarytrue
MessageDefinition.parent
Element IdMessageDefinition.parent
Definition

Identifies a protocol or workflow that this MessageDefinition represents a step in.

Short DisplayProtocol/workflow this is part of
Cardinality0..*
Typecanonical(ActivityDefinition | PlanDefinition)
Summarytrue
Comments

It should be possible to use MessageDefinition to describe a message to be used by certain steps in a particular protocol as part of a PlanDefinition or ActivityDefinition.

MessageDefinition.event[x]
Element IdMessageDefinition.event[x]
Definition

Event code or link to the EventDefinition.

Short DisplayEvent code or link to the EventDefinition
Cardinality1..1
Terminology BindingMessageEvent (Example)
TypeCoding|uri
[x] NoteSee Choice of Datatypes for further information about how to use [x]
Summarytrue
MessageDefinition.category
Element IdMessageDefinition.category
Definition

The impact of the content of the message.

Short Displayconsequence | currency | notification
Cardinality0..1
Terminology BindingMessage Significance Category (Required)
Typecode
Summarytrue
MessageDefinition.focus
Element IdMessageDefinition.focus
Definition

Identifies the resource (or resources) that are being addressed by the event. For example, the Encounter for an admit message or two Account records for a merge.

Short DisplayResource(s) that are the subject of the event
Cardinality0..*
Summarytrue
Invariants
Defined on this element
md-1Rule Max must be postive int or *max='*' or (max.toInteger() > 0)
MessageDefinition.focus.code
Element IdMessageDefinition.focus.code
Definition

The kind of resource that must be the focus for this message.

Short DisplayType of resource
Cardinality1..1
Terminology BindingResource Types (Required)
Typecode
Summarytrue
Comments

Multiple focuses addressing different resources may occasionally occur. E.g. to link or unlink a resource from a particular account or encounter, etc.

MessageDefinition.focus.profile
Element IdMessageDefinition.focus.profile
Definition

A profile that reflects constraints for the focal resource (and potentially for related resources).

Short DisplayProfile that must be adhered to by focus
Cardinality0..1
Typecanonical(StructureDefinition)
Requirements

This profile allows setting boundaries for what content must appear within the message bundle vs. outside based on the declared aggregation constraints on referenced resources on this and related profiles.

Summaryfalse
Comments

This should be present for most message definitions. However, if the message focus is only a single resource and there is no need to include referenced resources or otherwise enforce the presence of particular elements, it can be omitted.

MessageDefinition.focus.min
Element IdMessageDefinition.focus.min
Definition

Identifies the minimum number of resources of this type that must be pointed to by a message in order for it to be valid against this MessageDefinition.

Short DisplayMinimum number of focuses of this type
Cardinality1..1
TypeunsignedInt
Summarytrue
MessageDefinition.focus.max
Element IdMessageDefinition.focus.max
Definition

Identifies the maximum number of resources of this type that must be pointed to by a message in order for it to be valid against this MessageDefinition.

Short DisplayMaximum number of focuses of this type
Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Summaryfalse
Invariants
Affect this element
md-1Rule Max must be postive int or *max='*' or (max.toInteger() > 0)
MessageDefinition.responseRequired
Element IdMessageDefinition.responseRequired
Definition

Declare at a message definition level whether a response is required or only upon error or success, or never.

Short Displayalways | on-error | never | on-success
Cardinality0..1
Terminology Bindingmessageheader-response-request (Required)
Typecode
Summaryfalse
Comments

This enables the capability currently available through MSH-16 (Application Level acknowledgement) in HL7 Version 2 to declare at a message instance level whether a response is required or only upon error or success, or never.

MessageDefinition.allowedResponse
Element IdMessageDefinition.allowedResponse
Definition

Indicates what types of messages may be sent as an application-level response to this message.

Short DisplayResponses to this message
Cardinality0..*
Summaryfalse
Comments

This indicates an application level response to "close" a transaction implicit in a particular request message. To define a complete workflow scenario, look to the [[PlanDefinition]] resource which allows the definition of complex orchestrations, conditionality, etc.

MessageDefinition.allowedResponse.message
Element IdMessageDefinition.allowedResponse.message
Definition

A reference to the message definition that must be adhered to by this supported response.

Short DisplayReference to allowed message definition response
Cardinality1..1
Typecanonical(MessageDefinition)
Summaryfalse
MessageDefinition.allowedResponse.situation
Element IdMessageDefinition.allowedResponse.situation
Definition

Provides a description of the circumstances in which this response should be used (as opposed to one of the alternative responses).

Short DisplayWhen should this response be used
Cardinality0..1
Typemarkdown
Summaryfalse
MessageDefinition.graph
Element IdMessageDefinition.graph
Definition

Graph is Canonical reference to a GraphDefinition. If a URL is provided, it is the canonical reference to a GraphDefinition that it controls what additional resources are to be added to the Bundle when building the message. The GraphDefinition can also specify profiles that apply to the various resources.

Short DisplayCanonical reference to a GraphDefinition
Cardinality0..1
Typecanonical(GraphDefinition)
Summaryfalse