Specimen

Guidance for populating and consuming specimen resource data in GP Connect

Introduction

The headings below list the elements of the Specimen resource and describe how to populate and consume them.

Important: Any element not specifically listed below MUST NOT be populated or consumed. A full list of elements not used is available here.

Tip: You’ll find it helpful to read it in conjunction with the underlying specimen profile definition.

Specimen resource elements

id

Data type: Id Optionality: Mandatory Cardinality: 1..1

The logical identifier of the specimen resource.

meta.profile

Data type: uri Optionality: Mandatory Cardinality: 1..1

The observation profile URL.

Fixed value https://fhir.nhs.uk/STU3/StructureDefinition/CareConnect-GPC-Specimen-1

identifier

Data type: Identifier Optionality: Mandatory Cardinality: 1..*

This MUST be populated with a globally unique and persistent identifier (that is, it doesn’t change between requests and therefore stored with the source data). This MUST be scoped by a provider specific namespace for the identifier.

Where consuming systems are integrating data from this resource to their local system, they MUST also persist this identifier at the same time.

accessionIdentifier

Data type: Identifier Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

A business level identifier for the specimen supplied by the performing organisation - for example, the lab performing the test.

status

Data type: Code Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

The availability of the specimen.

type

Data type: CodableConcept Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

The kind of material that forms the specimen.

Examples from substance in SNOMED: 87612001 | Blood (substance) | 53130003 | Venous blood (substance) |

subject

Data type: Reference(Patient) Optionality: Mandatory Cardinality: 1..1

A reference to the patient who the observation is about.

receivedTime

Data type: instant Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

The time when specimen was received for processing.

collection

Data type: BackboneElement Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

Details of when/how the specimen was collected.

collection.extension[fastingStatus]

Data type: CodeableConcept/Duration Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

Whether or how long patient abstained from food and/or drink.

Where this is indicated in the incoming EDIFACT report it will be indicated with an ‘F’. This MUST be used to populate the coding.text element.

collection.collector

Data type: Reference (Practitioner) Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

Reference to the resource for the practitioner who collected the specimen.

collection.collected

Data type: dateTime/Period Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

The date and time when the specimen was collected.

collection.quantity

Data type: SimpleQuantity Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

The quantity of the specimen that was collected.

collection.bodysite

Data type: CodeableConcept Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

The anatomical site of the specimen collection.

note

Data type: Annotation Optionality: Required Cardinality: 0..1

Notes/comments relating to the specimen.

Elements not in use

The following elements MUST NOT be populated: