A set of rules of how FHIR is used to solve a particular problem. This resource is used to gather all the parts of an implementation guide into a logical whole and to publish a computable definition of all the parts.

An implementation guide is able to define default profiles that must apply to any use of a resource, so validation services may need to take one or more implementation guide resources when validating.

An absolute URI that is used to identify this implementation guide output when it is referenced in a specification, model, design or an instance. This SHOULD be globally unique, and SHOULD be a literal address at which this implementation guide output is (or will be) published.

Allows the implementation guide output to be referenced by a single globally unique identifier. This is required to allow hosting Implementation Guides on multiple different servers, and to allow for the editorial process.

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 URL SHOULD include the major version of the implementation guide output. For more information see Technical and Business Versions.

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

There may be different implementation guide output 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 implementation guide output with the format [url]|[version].

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

Support human navigation and code generation.

The name is not expected to be globally unique. The name should be a simple alpha-numeric type name to ensure that it is computable friendly.

The status of this implementation guide output. Enables tracking the life-cycle of the content.

Allows filtering of implementation guide outputs that are appropriate for use vs. not.
This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not use a retired implementation guide output without due consideration.

A boolean value to indicate that this implementation guide output is authored for testing purposes (or education/evaluation/marketing), and is not intended to be used for genuine usage.

Enables experimental content to be developed following the same lifecycle that would be used for a production-level implementation guide output.

Allows filtering of implementation guide output that are appropriate for use vs. not. This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not use an experimental implementation guide output in production.

The date (and optionally time) when the implementation guide output was published. The date must change if and 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 implementation guide output changes.

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

The name of the individual or organization that published the implementation guide output.

Helps establish the "authority/credibility" of the implementation guide output. May also allow for contact.

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

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

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

A free text natural language description of the implementation guide output from a consumer's perspective.

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

The content was developed with a focus and intent of supporting the contexts that are listed. These terms may be used to assist with indexing and searching for appropriate implementation guide output instances.

Assist in searching for appropriate content.

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

A legal or geographic region in which the implementation guide output is intended to be used.

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

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

Consumers must be able to determine any legal restrictions on the use of the implementation guide output and/or its content.

The version of the FHIR specification on which this ImplementationGuide is based - this is the formal version of the specification, without the revision number, e.g. [publication].[major].[minor], which is 3.2.0 for this version.

An Implementation Guide should specify the target it applies to, as ImplementationGuides are rarely valid across multiple versions of FHIR.

Another implementation guide that this implementation depends on. Typically, an implementation guide uses value sets, profiles etc.defined in other implementation guides.

How the dependency is represented when the guide is published.

For information about processing included guides, see Including Guides.

Where the dependency is located.

When a guide is published, and the type is 'include', this will be a relative reference within the guide.

A resource that is part of the implementation guide. Conformance resources (value set, structure definition, capability statements etc.) are obvious candidates for inclusion, but any kind of resource can be included as an example resource.

Where this resource is found.

Usually this is a relative URL that locates the resource within the implementation guide. If you authoring an implementation guide, and will publish it using the FHIR publication tooling, use a URI that may point to a resource, or to one of various alternative representations (e.g. spreadsheet). The tooling will convert this when it publishes it.

If true or a reference, indicates the resource is an example instance. If a reference is present, indicates that the example is an example of the specified profile.

Typically, conformance resources and knowledge resources are directly part of the implementation guide, with their normal meaning, and patient linked resources are usually examples. However this is not always true.

The relative path for primary page for this resource within the IG.

Appending 'rendering' + "/" + this should resolve to the resource page.

A set of profiles that all resources covered by this implementation guide must conform to.

See Default Profiles for a discussion of which resources are 'covered' by an implementation guide.

The type of resource that all instances must conform to.

The type must match that of the profile that is referred to, but is made explicit here as a denormalization so that a system processing the implementation guide resource knows which resources the profile applies to even if the profile itself is not available.

A reference to the profile that all instances must conform to.

A pointer to official web page, PDF or other rendering of the implementation guide.

Information about a page within the IG.

Allows validation of hyperlinks from a derived IG to this IG without a local copy of the IG.

Relative path to the page.

Appending 'rendering' + "/" + this should resolve to the page.

Label for the page intended for human display.

Allows generation of labels for markdown-generated hyperlinks.

The name of an anchor available on the page.

Allows validation of hyperlinks from a derived IG to this IG without a local copy of the IG.

Appending 'rendering' + "/" + page.name + "#" + page.anchor should resolve to the anchor.

Indicates a relative path to an image that exists within the IG.

Allows validation of image links from a derived IG to this IG without a local copy of the IG.

Indicates the relative path of an additional non-page, non-image file that is part of the IG - e.g. zip, jar and similar files that could be the target of a hyperlink in a derived IG.

Allows validation of links from a derived IG to this IG without a local copy of the IG.