Resource type: group

Description

Represents a defined collection of entities that may be discussed or acted upon collectively but which are not expected to act collectively, and are not formally or legally recognized; i.e. a collection of entities that isn't an Organization.

Elements

PathShortDefinitionComments
Group of multiple entitiesRepresents a defined collection of entities that may be discussed or acted upon collectively but which are not expected to act collectively, and are not formally or legally recognized; i.e. a collection of entities that isn't an Organization.If both Group.characteristic and Group.member are present, then the members are the individuals who were found who met the characteristic. It's possible that there might be other candidate members who meet the characteristic and aren't (yet) in the list. All members SHALL have the listed characteristics.
identifierUnique idA unique business identifier for this group.
activeWhether this group's record is in active useIndicates whether the record for the group is available for use or is merely being retained for historical purposes.
typeperson | animal | practitioner | device | medication | substanceIdentifies the broad classification of the kind of resources the group includes.Group members SHALL be of the appropriate resource type (Patient for person or animal; or Practitioner, Device, Medication or Substance for the other types.).
actualDescriptive or actualIf true, indicates that the resource refers to a specific group of real individuals. If false, the group defines a set of intended individuals.
codeKind of Group membersProvides a specific type of resource the group includes; e.g. "cow", "syringe", etc.This would generally be omitted for Person resources.
nameLabel for GroupA label assigned to the group for human identification and communication.
quantityNumber of membersA count of the number of resource instances that are part of the group.Note that the quantity may be less than the number of members if some of the members are not active.
managingEntityEntity that is the custodian of the Group's definitionEntity responsible for defining and maintaining Group characteristics and/or registered members.This does not strictly align with ownership of a herd or flock, but may suffice to represent that relationship in simple cases. More complex cases will require an extension.
characteristicInclude / Exclude group members by TraitIdentifies traits whose presence r absence is shared by members of the group.All the identified characteristics must be true for an entity to a member of the group.
characteristic.idUnique id for inter-element referencingUnique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
characteristic.extensionAdditional content defined by implementationsMay 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.
characteristic.modifierExtensionExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognizedMay 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.
characteristic.codeKind of characteristicA code that identifies the kind of trait being asserted.
characteristic.value[x]Value held by characteristicThe value of the trait that holds (or does not hold - see 'exclude') for members of the group.For Range, it means members of the group have a value that falls somewhere within the specified range.
characteristic.excludeGroup includes or excludesIf true, indicates the characteristic is one that is NOT held by members of the group.This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications cannot wrongly include excluded members as included or vice versa.
characteristic.periodPeriod over which characteristic is testedThe period over which the characteristic is tested; e.g. the patient had an operation during the month of June.
memberWho or what is in groupIdentifies the resource instances that are members of the group.
member.idUnique id for inter-element referencingUnique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
member.extensionAdditional content defined by implementationsMay 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.
member.modifierExtensionExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognizedMay 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.
member.entityReference to the group memberA reference to the entity that is a member of the group. Must be consistent with Group.type. If the entity is another group, then the type must be the same.
member.periodPeriod member belonged to the groupThe period that the member was in the group, if known.
member.inactiveIf member is no longer in groupA flag to indicate that the member is no longer in the group, but previously may have been a member.

Scope and Usage

Use Cases

The Group resource is used in one of two ways:

  1. To define a group of specific people, animals, devices, etc. that is being tracked, examined or otherwise referenced as part of healthcare-related activities
  2. To define a set of possible people, animals, devices, etc. that are of interest for some intended future healthcare-related activities

Examples of the former could include group therapy or treatment sessions, exposed entities tracked as part of public health, etc. The latter might be used to define expected subjects for a clinical study.

Both use cases are handled by a single resource because the data elements captured tend to be similar.

Boundaries and Relationships

There are a number of mechanisms in FHIR for communicating collections of resources:

Contained, bundled and remotely referenced resources convey the same meaning.

Mixing Characteristics and Members

If both Group.characteristic and Group.member are present, then the members are the individuals who were found who met the characteristic. It's possible that there might be other candidate members who meet the characteristic and aren't (yet) in the list. All members SHALL have the listed characteristics.

Search Parameters

actualDescriptive or actualGroup.actual
characteristicKind of characteristicGroup.characteristic.code
codeThe kind of resources containedGroup.code
excludeGroup includes or excludesGroup.characteristic.exclude
identifierUnique idGroup.identifier
managing-entityEntity that is the custodian of the Group's definitionGroup.managingEntity
memberReference to the group memberGroup.member.entity
typeThe type of resources the group containsGroup.type
valueValue held by characteristicGroup.characteristic.value as CodeableConcept | Group.characteristic.value as boolean
characteristic-valueA composite of both characteristic and valueGroup.characteristic

Extension Definitions

These are extension definitions for this resource defined by the spec

Profiles based on this resource

Group Definition

Enforces a descriptive group that can be used in definitional resources

Elements

PathShortDefinitionComments
Group of multiple entitiesRepresents a defined collection of entities that may be discussed or acted upon collectively but which are not expected to act collectively, and are not formally or legally recognized; i.e. a collection of entities that isn't an Organization.If both Group.characteristic and Group.member are present, then the members are the individuals who were found who met the characteristic. It's possible that there might be other candidate members who meet the characteristic and aren't (yet) in the list. All members SHALL have the listed characteristics.
identifierUnique idA unique business identifier for this group.
activeWhether this group's record is in active useIndicates whether the record for the group is available for use or is merely being retained for historical purposes.
typeperson | animal | practitioner | device | medication | substanceIdentifies the broad classification of the kind of resources the group includes.Group members SHALL be of the appropriate resource type (Patient for person or animal; or Practitioner, Device, Medication or Substance for the other types.).
actualDescriptive or actualIf true, indicates that the resource refers to a specific group of real individuals. If false, the group defines a set of intended individuals.
codeKind of Group membersProvides a specific type of resource the group includes; e.g. "cow", "syringe", etc.This would generally be omitted for Person resources.
nameLabel for GroupA label assigned to the group for human identification and communication.
quantityNumber of membersA count of the number of resource instances that are part of the group.Note that the quantity may be less than the number of members if some of the members are not active.
managingEntityEntity that is the custodian of the Group's definitionEntity responsible for defining and maintaining Group characteristics and/or registered members.This does not strictly align with ownership of a herd or flock, but may suffice to represent that relationship in simple cases. More complex cases will require an extension.
characteristicInclude / Exclude group members by TraitIdentifies traits whose presence r absence is shared by members of the group.All the identified characteristics must be true for an entity to a member of the group.
characteristic.idUnique id for inter-element referencingUnique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
characteristic.extensionAdditional content defined by implementationsMay 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.
characteristic.modifierExtensionExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognizedMay 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.
characteristic.codeKind of characteristicA code that identifies the kind of trait being asserted.
characteristic.value[x]Value held by characteristicThe value of the trait that holds (or does not hold - see 'exclude') for members of the group.For Range, it means members of the group have a value that falls somewhere within the specified range.
characteristic.excludeGroup includes or excludesIf true, indicates the characteristic is one that is NOT held by members of the group.This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications cannot wrongly include excluded members as included or vice versa.
characteristic.periodPeriod over which characteristic is testedThe period over which the characteristic is tested; e.g. the patient had an operation during the month of June.
memberWho or what is in groupIdentifies the resource instances that are members of the group.
member.idUnique id for inter-element referencingUnique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
member.extensionAdditional content defined by implementationsMay 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.
member.modifierExtensionExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognizedMay 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.
member.entityReference to the group memberA reference to the entity that is a member of the group. Must be consistent with Group.type. If the entity is another group, then the type must be the same.
member.periodPeriod member belonged to the groupThe period that the member was in the group, if known.
member.inactiveIf member is no longer in groupA flag to indicate that the member is no longer in the group, but previously may have been a member.

Actual Group

Enforces an actual group, rather than a definitional group

Elements

PathShortDefinitionComments
Group of multiple entitiesRepresents a defined collection of entities that may be discussed or acted upon collectively but which are not expected to act collectively, and are not formally or legally recognized; i.e. a collection of entities that isn't an Organization.If both Group.characteristic and Group.member are present, then the members are the individuals who were found who met the characteristic. It's possible that there might be other candidate members who meet the characteristic and aren't (yet) in the list. All members SHALL have the listed characteristics.
identifierUnique idA unique business identifier for this group.
activeWhether this group's record is in active useIndicates whether the record for the group is available for use or is merely being retained for historical purposes.
typeperson | animal | practitioner | device | medication | substanceIdentifies the broad classification of the kind of resources the group includes.Group members SHALL be of the appropriate resource type (Patient for person or animal; or Practitioner, Device, Medication or Substance for the other types.).
actualDescriptive or actualIf true, indicates that the resource refers to a specific group of real individuals. If false, the group defines a set of intended individuals.
codeKind of Group membersProvides a specific type of resource the group includes; e.g. "cow", "syringe", etc.This would generally be omitted for Person resources.
nameLabel for GroupA label assigned to the group for human identification and communication.
quantityNumber of membersA count of the number of resource instances that are part of the group.Note that the quantity may be less than the number of members if some of the members are not active.
managingEntityEntity that is the custodian of the Group's definitionEntity responsible for defining and maintaining Group characteristics and/or registered members.This does not strictly align with ownership of a herd or flock, but may suffice to represent that relationship in simple cases. More complex cases will require an extension.
characteristicInclude / Exclude group members by TraitIdentifies traits whose presence r absence is shared by members of the group.All the identified characteristics must be true for an entity to a member of the group.
characteristic.idUnique id for inter-element referencingUnique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
characteristic.extensionAdditional content defined by implementationsMay 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.
characteristic.modifierExtensionExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognizedMay 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.
characteristic.codeKind of characteristicA code that identifies the kind of trait being asserted.
characteristic.value[x]Value held by characteristicThe value of the trait that holds (or does not hold - see 'exclude') for members of the group.For Range, it means members of the group have a value that falls somewhere within the specified range.
characteristic.excludeGroup includes or excludesIf true, indicates the characteristic is one that is NOT held by members of the group.This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications cannot wrongly include excluded members as included or vice versa.
characteristic.periodPeriod over which characteristic is testedThe period over which the characteristic is tested; e.g. the patient had an operation during the month of June.
memberWho or what is in groupIdentifies the resource instances that are members of the group.
member.idUnique id for inter-element referencingUnique id for the element within a resource (for internal references). This may be any string value that does not contain spaces.
member.extensionAdditional content defined by implementationsMay 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.
member.modifierExtensionExtensions that cannot be ignored even if unrecognizedMay 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.
member.entityReference to the group memberA reference to the entity that is a member of the group. Must be consistent with Group.type. If the entity is another group, then the type must be the same.
member.periodPeriod member belonged to the groupThe period that the member was in the group, if known.
member.inactiveIf member is no longer in groupA flag to indicate that the member is no longer in the group, but previously may have been a member.