MessageHeader FHIR Resource Proposal

MessageRoot

Owning committee name

Infrastructure and Messaging (currently handled by Core Team)

Contributing or Reviewing Work Groups

FMG, OO, MnM, ...

FHIR Resource Development Project Insight ID

pending

Scope of coverage

A transmission requesting action on a bundle of one or more resources or a response to such a request.

In FHIR messaging, a "request message" is sent from a source application to a destination application when an event happens. Events mostly correspond to things that happen in the real world. The request message consists of a bundle of resources, with the first resource in the bundle being this Message resource. The Message resource has a code - the message event - that identifies the nature of the request message and carries additional request metadata. The other resources in the bundle depend on the type of the request.

MessageRoot is distinct from DocumentRoot in that Message is event focused and has a specific receiver in mind and an expected response. DocumentRoot is focused on content and persistence with no defined consumer or behavior. Both, however, are specified to be the first resource in the bundle that contains their 'child' resources, and it is the presence of the resource that designates the bundle as a 'FHIR Document' or a 'FHIR Message'

RIM scope

Message

Detailed message resource mappings (for v3 & v2) can be found at: http://www.hl7.org/implement/standards/fhir/message-mappings.htm

Resource appropriateness

The messaging paradigm embodied in v2 is widely understood and used within contemporary healthcare. Given that wide base of knowledge and experience it is reasonable to assume that members of the v2 community will experiment and likely adopt use of FHIR resources using this paradigm.

The message resource will allow development of FHIR based messaging likely within healthcare entities and across organizational boundaries over time.

Expected implementations

Core Infrastructure. Needed to satisfy R2 and some R3 requirements.

Needed for v2 replacement

Content sources

V2 (MSH) V3 (Transmission wrappers)

Example Scenarios

Using the message resource it is reasonable to expect development of scenarios similar to v2 messaging exchanges.

1) Patient Administration - Admission, Discharge and Transfer scenarios

2) Order entry - for labs, pharmacy, imaging, etc.

3) Observation reporting - lab results, microbiology, imaging results, etc.

Resource Relationships

Messages point to the resources contained in the message as well as (potentially) to the message they're responding to.

Timelines

Part of the first DSTU

gForge Users

N/A