An order or request for both supply of the medication and the instructions for administration of the medication to a patient. The resource is called "MedicationRequest" rather than "MedicationPrescription" or "MedicationOrder" to generalize the use across inpatient and outpatient settings, including care plans, etc., and to harmonize with workflow patterns.

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 may not always be associated with version changes to the resource.

The version specific identifier, as it appears in the version portion of the URL. This values 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.

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.

Security Labels from the Healthcare Privacy and Security Classification System.

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.

Codes that represent various types of tags, commonly workflow-related; e.g. "Needs review by Dr. Jones"

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.

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.

Codes that represent various types of tags, commonly workflow-related; e.g. "Needs review by Dr. Jones"

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.

The identification of the code system that defines the meaning of the symbol in the code.

Need to be unambiguous about the source of the definition of the symbol.

The URI may be an OID (urn:oid:...) or a UUID (urn:uuid:...). OIDs and UUIDs SHALL be references to the HL7 OID registry. Otherwise, the URI should come from HL7's list of FHIR defined special URIs or it should de-reference to some definition that establish the system clearly and unambiguously.

A symbol in syntax defined by the system. The symbol may be a predefined code or an expression in a syntax defined by the coding system (e.g. post-coordination).

Need to refer to a particular code in the system.

A representation of the meaning of the code in the system, following the rules of the system.

Need to be able to carry a human-readable meaning of the code for readers that do not know the system.

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.

Codes that represent various types of tags, commonly workflow-related; e.g. "Needs review by Dr. Jones"

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.

The identification of the code system that defines the meaning of the symbol in the code.

Need to be unambiguous about the source of the definition of the symbol.

The URI may be an OID (urn:oid:...) or a UUID (urn:uuid:...). OIDs and UUIDs SHALL be references to the HL7 OID registry. Otherwise, the URI should come from HL7's list of FHIR defined special URIs or it should de-reference to some definition that establish the system clearly and unambiguously.

A symbol in syntax defined by the system. The symbol may be a predefined code or an expression in a syntax defined by the coding system (e.g. post-coordination).

Need to refer to a particular code in the system.

A representation of the meaning of the code in the system, following the rules of the system.

Need to be able to carry a human-readable meaning of the code for readers that do not know the system.

A reference to a set of rules that were followed when the resource was constructed, and which must be understood when processing the content.

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.

This element is labelled as a modifier because the implicit rules may provide additional knowledge about the resource that modifies it's meaning or interpretation.

The base language in which the resource is written.

A human language.

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).

A human-readable narrative that contains a summary of the resource, and may 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 in formation is added later.

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource. In order 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.

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. In order 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.

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. In order 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.

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.

Source of the definition for the extension code - a logical name or a URL.

The definition may point directly to a computable or human-readable definition of the extensibility codes, or it may be a logical URI as declared in some other specification. The definition SHALL be a URI for the Structure Definition defining the extension.

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. In order 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.

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.

Source of the definition for the extension code - a logical name or a URL.

The definition may point directly to a computable or human-readable definition of the extensibility codes, or it may be a logical URI as declared in some other specification. The definition SHALL be a URI for the Structure Definition defining the extension.

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. In order 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.

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.

Source of the definition for the extension code - a logical name or a URL.

The definition may point directly to a computable or human-readable definition of the extensibility codes, or it may be a logical URI as declared in some other specification. The definition SHALL be a URI for the Structure Definition defining the extension.

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

Source of the definition for the extension code - a logical name or a URL.

The definition may point directly to a computable or human-readable definition of the extensibility codes, or it may be a logical URI as declared in some other specification. The definition SHALL be a URI for the Structure Definition defining the extension.

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the resource. In order 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.

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. In order 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.

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. In order 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.

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.

Source of the definition for the extension code - a logical name or a URL.

The definition may point directly to a computable or human-readable definition of the extensibility codes, or it may be a logical URI as declared in some other specification. The definition SHALL be a URI for the Structure Definition defining the extension.

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

May be used to represent additional information that is not part of the basic definition of the element. In order 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.

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.

Source of the definition for the extension code - a logical name or a URL.

The definition may point directly to a computable or human-readable definition of the extensibility codes, or it may be a logical URI as declared in some other specification. The definition SHALL be a URI for the Structure Definition defining the extension.

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

Source of the definition for the extension code - a logical name or a URL.

The definition may point directly to a computable or human-readable definition of the extensibility codes, or it may be a logical URI as declared in some other specification. The definition SHALL be a URI for the Structure Definition defining the extension.

Value of extension - may be a resource or one of a constrained set of the data types (see Extensibility in the spec for list).

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. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. In order 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.

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.

Protocol or definition followed by this request.

A plan or request that is fulfilled in whole or in part by this medication request.

A shared identifier common to all requests that were authorized more or less simultaneously by a single author, representing the identifier of the requisition or prescription.

Requests are linked either by a "basedOn" relationship (i.e. one request is fulfilling another) or by having a common requisition. Requests that are part of the same requisition are generally treated independently from the perspective of changing their state or maintaining them after initial creation.

A code specifying the current state of the order. Generally this will be active or completed state.

A coded concept specifying the state of the prescribing event. Describes the lifecycle of the prescription

This element is labeled as a modifier because the status contains codes that mark the resource as not currently valid.

Whether the request is a proposal, plan, or an original order.

The kind of medication order

It is expected that the type of requester will be restricted for different stages of a MedicationRequest. For example, Proposals can be created by a patient, relatedPerson, Practitioner or Device. Plans can be created by Practitioners, Patients, RelatedPersons and Devices. Original orders can be created by a Practitioner only.

An instance-order is an instantiation of a request or order and may be used to populate Medication Administration Record.

This element is labeled as a modifier because the intent alters when and how the resource is actually applicable.

Indicates the type of medication order and where the medication is expected to be consumed or administered.

Indicates how quickly the Medication Request should be addressed with respect to other requests.

Identifies the level of importance to be assigned to actioning the request

Identifies the medication being requested. This is a link to a resource that represents the medication which may be the details of the medication or simply an attribute carrying a code that identifies the medication from a known list of medications.

If only a code is specified, then it needs to be a code for a specific product. If more information is required, then the use of the medication resource is recommended.  For example, if you require form or lot number or if the medication is compounded or extemporaneously prepared, then you must reference the Medication resource. .

Identifies the medication being requested. This is a link to a resource that represents the medication which may be the details of the medication or simply an attribute carrying a code that identifies the medication from a known list of medications.

If only a code is specified, then it needs to be a code for a specific product. If more information is required, then the use of the medication resource is recommended.  For example, if you require form or lot number or if the medication is compounded or extemporaneously prepared, then you must reference the Medication resource. .

A link to a resource representing the person or set of individuals to whom the medication will be given.

The subject on a medication request is mandatory. For the secondary use case where the actual subject is not provided, there still must be an anonymized subject specified.

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.

An identifier for the other resource. This is used when there is no way to reference the other resource directly, either because the entity 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.

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.

A link to an encounter, or episode of care, that identifies the particular occurrence or set occurrences of contact between patient and health care provider.

SubstanceAdministration->component->EncounterEvent.

Include additional information (for example, patient height and weight) that supports the ordering of the medication.

The date (and perhaps time) when the prescription was initially written or authored on.

The individual, organization or device that initiated the request and has responsibility for its activation.

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 that contains it. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. In order 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.

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.

The healthcare professional responsible for authorizing the initial prescription.

It is expected that the type of requester will be restricted for different stages of a MedicationRequest. For example, Proposals can be created by a patient, relatedPerson, Practitioner or Device. Plans can be created by Practitioners, Patients, RelatedPersons and Devices. Original orders can be created by a Practitioner only.

The organization the device or practitioner was acting on behalf of.

Practitioners and Devices can be associated with multiple organizations. This element indicates which organization they were acting on behalf of when authoring the request.

The reason or the indication for ordering the medication.

This could be a diagnosis code. If a full condition record exists or additional detail is needed, use reasonReference.

Extra information about the prescription that could not be conveyed by the other attributes.

The text of the annotation.

Indicates how the medication is to be used by the patient.

There are examples where a medication request may include the option of an oral dose or an Intravenous or Intramuscular dose. For example, "Ondansetron 8mg orally or IV twice a day as needed for nausea" or "Compazine® (prochlorperazine) 5-10mg PO or 25mg PR bid prn nausea or vomiting". In these cases, two medication requests would be created that could be grouped together. The decision on which dose and route of administration to use is based on the patient's condition at the time the dose is needed.

Free text dosage instructions e.g. SIG.

Free text dosage instructions can be used for cases where the instructions are too complex to code. The content of this attribute does not include the name or description of the medication. When coded instructions are present, the free text instructions may still be present for display to humans taking or administering the medication. It is expected that the text instructions will always be populated. If the dosage.timing attribute is also populated, then the dosage.text should reflect the same information as the timing.

Instructions in terms that are understood by the patient or consumer.

Indicates the specific details for the dispense or medication supply part of a medication request (also known as a Medication Prescription or Medication Order). Note that this information is not always sent with the order. There may be in some settings (e.g. hospitals) institutional or system support for completing the dispense details in the pharmacy department.

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 that contains it. Usually modifier elements provide negation or qualification. In order 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.

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.

This indicates the validity period of a prescription (stale dating the Prescription).

Indicates when the Prescription becomes valid, and when it ceases to be a dispensable Prescription.

It reflects the prescribers' perspective for the validity of the prescription. Dispenses must not be made against the prescription outside of this period. The lower-bound of the Dispensing Window signifies the earliest date that the prescription can be filled for the first time. If an upper-bound is not specified then the Prescription is open-ended or will default to a stale-date based on regulations.

An integer indicating the number of times, in addition to the original dispense, (aka refills or repeats) that the patient can receive the prescribed medication. Usage Notes: This integer does not include the original order dispense. This means that if an order indicates dispense 30 tablets plus "3 repeats", then the order can be dispensed a total of 4 times and the patient can receive a total of 120 tablets.

If displaying "number of authorized fills", add 1 to this number.

The amount that is to be dispensed for one fill.

How the value should be understood and represented - whether the actual value is greater or less than the stated value due to measurement issues; e.g. if the comparator is "<" , then the real value is < stated value.

How the Quantity should be understood and represented.

Need a framework for handling measures where the value is <5ug /L or >400mg/L due to the limitations of measuring methodology.

This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because the comparator modifies the interpretation of the value significantly. If there is no comparator, then there is no modification of the value.

Identifies the period time over which the supplied product is expected to be used, or the length of time the dispense is expected to last.

In some situations, this attribute may be used instead of quantity to identify the amount supplied by how long it is expected to last, rather than the physical quantity issued, e.g. 90 days supply of medication (based on an ordered dosage) When possible, it is always better to specify quantity, as this tends to be more precise. expectedSupplyDuration will always be an estimate that can be influenced by external factors.

The value of the measured amount. The value includes an implicit precision in the presentation of the value.

Precision is handled implicitly in almost all cases of measurement.

The implicit precision in the value should always be honored. Monetary values have their own rules for handling precision (refer to standard accounting text books).

How the value should be understood and represented - whether the actual value is greater or less than the stated value due to measurement issues; e.g. if the comparator is "<" , then the real value is < stated value.

How the Quantity should be understood and represented.

Need a framework for handling measures where the value is <5ug /L or >400mg/L due to the limitations of measuring methodology.

This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because the comparator modifies the interpretation of the value significantly. If there is no comparator, then there is no modification of the value.

A human-readable form of the unit.

There are many representations for units of measure and in many contexts, particular representations are fixed and required. I.e. mcg for micrograms.

The identification of the system that provides the coded form of the unit.

Need to know the system that defines the coded form of the unit.

A computer processable form of the unit in some unit representation system.

Need a computable form of the unit that is fixed across all forms. UCUM provides this for quantities, but SNOMED CT provides many units of interest.

The preferred system is UCUM, but SNOMED CT can also be used (for customary units) or ISO 4217 for currency. The context of use may additionally require a code from a particular system.

Indicates whether or not substitution can or should be part of the dispense. In some cases substitution must happen, in other cases substitution must not happen. This block explains the prescriber's intent. If nothing is specified substitution may be done.

A link to a resource representing an earlier order related order or prescription.

Indicates an actual or potential clinical issue with or between one or more active or proposed clinical actions for a patient; e.g. Drug-drug interaction, duplicate therapy, dosage alert etc.

Links to Provenance records for past versions of this resource or fulfilling request or event resources that identify key state transitions or updates that are likely to be relevant to a user looking at the current version of the resource.

This may not include provenances for all versions of the request – only those deemed “relevant” or important. This SHALL NOT include the Provenance associated with this current version of the resource. (If that provenance is deemed to be a “relevant” change, it will need to be added as part of a later update. Until then, it can be queried directly as the Provenance that points to this version using _revinclude All Provenances should have some historical version of this Request as their subject.).