Release 4

Clinical Decision Support Work GroupMaturity Level: 0 Trial UseSecurity Category: Business Compartments: Not linked to any defined compartments

Detailed Descriptions for the elements in the EvidenceVariable resource.

EvidenceVariable
Element IdEvidenceVariable
Definition

The EvidenceVariable resource describes a "PICO" element that knowledge (evidence, assertion, recommendation) is about.

Cardinality0..*
TypeDomainResource
Requirements

Need to be able to define and reuse the definition of individual elements of a research question.

Comments

PICO stands for Population (the population within which exposures are being compared), Intervention (the conditional state or exposure state being described for its effect on outcomes), Comparison (the alternative conditional state or alternative exposure state being compared against), and Outcome (the result or effect of the intervention in the population).

Invariants
Defined on this element
evv-0Warning Name should be usable as an identifier for the module by machine processing applications such as code generationname.matches('[A-Z]([A-Za-z0-9_]){0,254}')
EvidenceVariable.url
Element IdEvidenceVariable.url
Definition

An absolute URI that is used to identify this evidence variable when it is referenced in a specification, model, design or an instance; also called its canonical identifier. This SHOULD be globally unique and SHOULD be a literal address at which at which an authoritative instance of this evidence variable is (or will be) published. This URL can be the target of a canonical reference. It SHALL remain the same when the evidence variable is stored on different servers.

Cardinality0..1
Typeuri
Requirements

Allows the evidence variable to be referenced by a single globally unique identifier.

Summarytrue
Comments

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 determination of when to create a new version of a resource (same url, new version) vs. defining a new artifact is up to the author. Considerations for making this decision are found in Technical and Business Versions.

In some cases, the resource can no longer be found at the stated url, but the url itself cannot change. Implementations can use the meta.source element to indicate where the current master source of the resource can be found.

EvidenceVariable.identifier
Element IdEvidenceVariable.identifier
Definition

A formal identifier that is used to identify this evidence variable when it is represented in other formats, or referenced in a specification, model, design or an instance.

NoteThis is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see discussion)
Cardinality0..*
TypeIdentifier
Requirements

Allows externally provided and/or usable business identifiers to be easily associated with the module.

Summarytrue
Comments

Typically, this is used for identifiers that can go in an HL7 V3 II (instance identifier) data type, and can then identify this evidence variable outside of FHIR, where it is not possible to use the logical URI.

EvidenceVariable.version
Element IdEvidenceVariable.version
Definition

The identifier that is used to identify this version of the evidence variable when it is referenced in a specification, model, design or instance. This is an arbitrary value managed by the evidence variable 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. To provide a version consistent with the Decision Support Service specification, use the format Major.Minor.Revision (e.g. 1.0.0). For more information on versioning knowledge assets, refer to the Decision Support Service specification. Note that a version is required for non-experimental active artifacts.

NoteThis is a business versionId, not a resource version id (see discussion)
Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Comments

There may be different evidence variable 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 evidence variable with the format [url]|[version].

EvidenceVariable.name
Element IdEvidenceVariable.name
Definition

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

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Requirements

Support human navigation and code generation.

Summarytrue
Comments

The name is not expected to be globally unique. The name should be a simple alphanumeric type name to ensure that it is machine-processing friendly.

Invariants
Affect this element
inv-0Warning Name should be usable as an identifier for the module by machine processing applications such as code generationname.matches('[A-Z]([A-Za-z0-9_]){0,254}')
To DoNote: This was added back in because this is a metadata resource and it's a required element for metadata resource searching.
EvidenceVariable.title
Element IdEvidenceVariable.title
Definition

A short, descriptive, user-friendly title for the evidence variable.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Summarytrue
Comments

This name does not need to be machine-processing friendly and may contain punctuation, white-space, etc.

EvidenceVariable.shortTitle
Element IdEvidenceVariable.shortTitle
Definition

The short title provides an alternate title for use in informal descriptive contexts where the full, formal title is not necessary.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Requirements

Need to be able to reference the content by a short description, but still provide a longer, more formal title for the content.

Summarytrue
EvidenceVariable.subtitle
Element IdEvidenceVariable.subtitle
Definition

An explanatory or alternate title for the EvidenceVariable giving additional information about its content.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
EvidenceVariable.status
Element IdEvidenceVariable.status
Definition

The status of this evidence variable. Enables tracking the life-cycle of the content.

Cardinality1..1
Terminology BindingPublicationStatus (Required)
Typecode
Is Modifiertrue (Reason: This is labeled as "Is Modifier" because applications should not use a retired {{title}} without due consideration)
Summarytrue
Comments

Allows filtering of evidence variables that are appropriate for use versus not.

EvidenceVariable.date
Element IdEvidenceVariable.date
Definition

The date (and optionally time) when the evidence variable was published. The date must change 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 evidence variable changes.

Cardinality0..1
TypedateTime
Alternate NamesRevision Date
Summarytrue
Comments

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

EvidenceVariable.publisher
Element IdEvidenceVariable.publisher
Definition

The name of the organization or individual that published the evidence variable.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Requirements

Helps establish the "authority/credibility" of the evidence variable. May also allow for contact.

Summarytrue
Comments

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

EvidenceVariable.contact
Element IdEvidenceVariable.contact
Definition

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

Cardinality0..*
TypeContactDetail
Summarytrue
Comments

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

EvidenceVariable.description
Element IdEvidenceVariable.description
Definition

A free text natural language description of the evidence variable from a consumer's perspective.

Cardinality0..1
Typemarkdown
Summarytrue
Comments

This description can be used to capture details such as why the evidence variable 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 evidence variable 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 evidence variable is presumed to be the predominant language in the place the evidence variable was created).

EvidenceVariable.note
Element IdEvidenceVariable.note
Definition

A human-readable string to clarify or explain concepts about the resource.

Cardinality0..*
TypeAnnotation
EvidenceVariable.useContext
Element IdEvidenceVariable.useContext
Definition

The content was developed with a focus and intent of supporting the contexts that are listed. These contexts may be general categories (gender, age, ...) or may be references to specific programs (insurance plans, studies, ...) and may be used to assist with indexing and searching for appropriate evidence variable instances.

Cardinality0..*
TypeUsageContext
Requirements

Assist in searching for appropriate content.

Summarytrue
Comments

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

To DoNote: This was added back in because this is a metadata resource and it's a required element for metadata resource searching.
EvidenceVariable.jurisdiction
Element IdEvidenceVariable.jurisdiction
Definition

A legal or geographic region in which the evidence variable is intended to be used.

Cardinality0..*
Terminology BindingJurisdiction (Extensible)
TypeCodeableConcept
Summarytrue
Comments

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

To DoNote: This was added back in because this is a metadata resource and it's a required element for metadata resource searching.
EvidenceVariable.copyright
Element IdEvidenceVariable.copyright
Definition

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

Cardinality0..1
Typemarkdown
Requirements

Consumers must be able to determine any legal restrictions on the use of the evidence variable and/or its content.

Alternate NamesLicense; Restrictions
EvidenceVariable.approvalDate
Element IdEvidenceVariable.approvalDate
Definition

The date on which the resource content was approved by the publisher. Approval happens once when the content is officially approved for usage.

Cardinality0..1
Typedate
Comments

The 'date' element may be more recent than the approval date because of minor changes or editorial corrections.

To DoConsider how this applies to this resource.
EvidenceVariable.lastReviewDate
Element IdEvidenceVariable.lastReviewDate
Definition

The date on which the resource content was last reviewed. Review happens periodically after approval but does not change the original approval date.

Cardinality0..1
Typedate
Requirements

Gives a sense of how "current" the content is. Resources that have not been reviewed in a long time may have a risk of being less appropriate/relevant.

Comments

If specified, this date follows the original approval date.

To DoConsider how this applies to this resource.
EvidenceVariable.effectivePeriod
Element IdEvidenceVariable.effectivePeriod
Definition

The period during which the evidence variable content was or is planned to be in active use.

Cardinality0..1
TypePeriod
Requirements

Allows establishing a transition before a resource comes into effect and also allows for a sunsetting process when new versions of the evidence variable are or are expected to be used instead.

Summarytrue
Comments

The effective period for a evidence variable determines when the content is applicable for usage and is independent of publication and review dates. For example, a measure intended to be used for the year 2016 might be published in 2015.

To DoConsider how this applies to this resource.
EvidenceVariable.topic
Element IdEvidenceVariable.topic
Definition

Descriptive topics related to the content of the EvidenceVariable. Topics provide a high-level categorization grouping types of EvidenceVariables that can be useful for filtering and searching.

Cardinality0..*
Terminology BindingDefinitionTopic (Example)
TypeCodeableConcept
Requirements

Repositories must be able to determine how to categorize the EvidenceVariable so that it can be found by topical searches.

To DoConsider how this applies to this resource.
EvidenceVariable.author
Element IdEvidenceVariable.author
Definition

An individiual or organization primarily involved in the creation and maintenance of the content.

Cardinality0..*
TypeContactDetail
EvidenceVariable.editor
Element IdEvidenceVariable.editor
Definition

An individual or organization primarily responsible for internal coherence of the content.

Cardinality0..*
TypeContactDetail
EvidenceVariable.reviewer
Element IdEvidenceVariable.reviewer
Definition

An individual or organization primarily responsible for review of some aspect of the content.

Cardinality0..*
TypeContactDetail
EvidenceVariable.endorser
Element IdEvidenceVariable.endorser
Definition

An individual or organization responsible for officially endorsing the content for use in some setting.

Cardinality0..*
TypeContactDetail
EvidenceVariable.relatedArtifact
Element IdEvidenceVariable.relatedArtifact
Definition

Related artifacts such as additional documentation, justification, or bibliographic references.

Cardinality0..*
TypeRelatedArtifact
Requirements

EvidenceVariables must be able to provide enough information for consumers of the content (and/or interventions or results produced by the content) to be able to determine and understand the justification for and evidence in support of the content.

Comments

Each related artifact is either an attachment, or a reference to another resource, but not both.

To DoConsider how this applies to this resource.
EvidenceVariable.type
Element IdEvidenceVariable.type
Definition

The type of evidence element, a population, an exposure, or an outcome.

Cardinality0..1
Terminology BindingEvidenceVariableType (Required)
Typecode
Summarytrue
EvidenceVariable.characteristic
Element IdEvidenceVariable.characteristic
Definition

A characteristic that defines the members of the evidence element. Multiple characteristics are applied with "and" semantics.

Cardinality1..*
Summarytrue
Comments

Characteristics can be defined flexibly to accommodate different use cases for membership criteria, ranging from simple codes, all the way to using an expression language to express the criteria.

EvidenceVariable.characteristic.description
Element IdEvidenceVariable.characteristic.description
Definition

A short, natural language description of the characteristic that could be used to communicate the criteria to an end-user.

Cardinality0..1
Typestring
Requirements

Need to be able to describe characteristics in natural language so that end users can understand the criteria.

EvidenceVariable.characteristic.definition[x]
Element IdEvidenceVariable.characteristic.definition[x]
Definition

Define members of the evidence element using Codes (such as condition, medication, or observation), Expressions ( using an expression language such as FHIRPath or CQL) or DataRequirements (such as Diabetes diagnosis onset in the last year).

Cardinality1..1
TypeReference(Group)|canonical(ActivityDefinition)|CodeableConcept|Expression|DataRequirement|TriggerDefinition
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
Requirements

Need to be able to define members in simple codes when the membership aligns well with terminology, with common criteria such as observations in a value set or lab tests within a year, or with expression language to support criteria that do not fit in the above.

Summarytrue
EvidenceVariable.characteristic.usageContext
Element IdEvidenceVariable.characteristic.usageContext
Definition

Use UsageContext to define the members of the population, such as Age Ranges, Genders, Settings.

Cardinality0..*
TypeUsageContext
Requirements

Need to be able to define members more structurally when more information can be communicated such as age range.

To DoDefine semantics when multiple definition types are present, or disallow mixtures.
EvidenceVariable.characteristic.exclude
Element IdEvidenceVariable.characteristic.exclude
Definition

When true, members with this characteristic are excluded from the element.

Cardinality0..1
Typeboolean
Meaning if MissingFalse
EvidenceVariable.characteristic.participantEffective[x]
Element IdEvidenceVariable.characteristic.participantEffective[x]
Definition

Indicates what effective period the study covers.

Cardinality0..1
TypedateTime|Period|Duration|Timing
[x] NoteSee Choice of Data Types for further information about how to use [x]
EvidenceVariable.characteristic.timeFromStart
Element IdEvidenceVariable.characteristic.timeFromStart
Definition

Indicates duration from the participant's study entry.

Cardinality0..1
TypeDuration
EvidenceVariable.characteristic.groupMeasure
Element IdEvidenceVariable.characteristic.groupMeasure
Definition

Indicates how elements are aggregated within the study effective period.

Cardinality0..1
Terminology BindingGroupMeasure (Required)
Typecode