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Custom Subject and Item Data Format

Subjects that represent real-world entities or concepts are identified as part of a common clinical context. They are organized as context items. The names of context items include the subject that it belongs to, its role and meaning.

When assigning subject labels and item names the complete name for each item must be unique across all item names for all subjects. The Health Level-Seven Standard Context Management Specification, Subject Data Definitions document defines standard subject labels, rules for assigning custom subject labels, and the format of the names of each item that comprise the data for a subject.

The general format for the name of a context data item is:

Subject_label.role.Name_prefix.optional_name_suffix

Subject_label: is the name of the subject to which the item belongs.

Role: indicates the role of the item, as follows:

• Id = identifier data, used to identify a real-world entity or concept.
• Co = corroborating data, used by applications or users to corroborate the identity of a real-world entity or concept.
• An = annotating data, data pertaining to a real-world entity or concept.
• In = input data, data that represents an input to a context action.
• Ou = output data, represents an output from a context action.
• To = timeout data, represents the desired timeout interval for a context action.

Name_prefix: is the name of the item within the context of its subject

Optional_name_suffix: is optional for data items. Its purpose is to enable multiple items to represent the same logical concept. For example, multiple medical record numbers may identify patients at a particular sight. Each item that represents a patient medical record number would have the same item subject label, role, and item name prefix. However, each item name would have a different site-defined item name suffix.

An example using the medical record number and two sites would be:

Patient.Id.MRN.SaintElsewhereInpatient
and
Patient.Id.MRN.SaintElsewhereCommunityClinic

Item names and item values whose data type is a character string shall be treated as “case insensitive” unless specifically noted otherwise.