Definition of act.text
This page documents a Closed, fully actioned MnM Hot Topic, i.e. a methodology issue requiring a resolution from Modeling and Methodology.
See the discussion page for discussions.
Nov 2006 RIM definition of Act.text
A renderable textual or multimedia description (or reference to a description) of the complete information which would reasonably be expected to be displayed to a human reader conveyed by the Act.
Examples: For act definitions, the Act.text can contain textbook-like information about that act. For act orders, the description will contain particular instructions pertaining only to that order.
The content of the description is not considered part of the functional information communicated between computer systems. For Acts that involve human readers and performers, however, computer systems must show the Act.text field to a human user, who has responsibility for the activity; or at least must indicate the existence of the Act.text information and allow the user to see that information.
Free text descriptions are used to help an individual interpret the content and context of the act, but all information relevant for automated functions must be communicated using the proper attributes and associated objects.
Usage: The intent is that a user can read Act.text alone without seeing any of the encoded information and have no risk of misinterpretting or lacking full understanding of the full content of the Act. For example, II.root, or CD.codeSystem would not normally be displayed to a human and thus would not need to be exposed as part of Act.text.
The rendering is expected to include all 'descendant' ActRelationships and participations recursively navigating child Acts as exposed in that particular 'snapshot'. However, there are several data elements which are NOT expected to be included in the rendering. These are:
- Component Sections (ActRelationship=COMP, classCode <= DOCSECT)
- the title attribute
- anything attached to ActRelationship=XFRM)
- Previous versions (ActRelationship=RPLC)
Act.text can include information that is not in the other attributes/associations, but must include all information which is in such attributes or associations (with the exception of those identified above).
Act.text SHOULD NOT be used for the sharing of computable information. Computable information must be conveyed using discrete attributes. Any information which Act.text contains not elsewhere exposed in encoded information will be opaque to computer systems. For this reason, Act.text should not be used to contain information which negates or significantly modifies the understanding of information encoded in discrete attributes.
To communicate "supplemental text", an act relationship (e.g. "component" or "subject of") should be created to a separate Act with a bare Act.text attribute should be used to convey the supplemental information, possibly with a code indicating "annotation" or some similar concept.
Closed
2011-01-12: Confirmed change was made at harmonization
