Content

Any material sample:

taken from a biological entity, living or dead
taken from a physical object or the environment

Some specimens are biological and can contain one or more components including but not limited to cellular molecules, cells, tissues, organs, body fluids, embryos, and body excretory products

The specimen resource covers substances used for diagnostic and environmental testing. The focus of the specimen resource is the process for gathering, maintaining and processing the specimen as well as where the specimen originated. This is distinct from the use of Substance which is only used when these other aspects are not relevant.

Resource Content

Structure

Specimen Template

{
  "resourceType" : "Specimen",
  "identifier" : [{ Identifier }], // External Identifier
  "status" : "<code>", // available | unavailable | unsatisfactory | entered-in-error
  "subject" : { Reference(Patient|Group|Device|Substance|Location) }, // Where the specimen came from. This may be from patient(s), from a location (e.g., the source of an environmental sample), or a sampling of a substance or a device
  "receivedTime" : "<dateTime>", // The time when specimen was received for processing
  "request" : [{ Reference(ServiceRequest) }], // Why the specimen was collected
  "collection" : { // Collection details
    "collector" : { Reference(Practitioner|PractitionerRole) }, // Who collected the specimen
    "collectedDateTime" : "<dateTime>",
  },
  "processing" : [{ // Processing and processing step details
    "description" : "<string>", // Textual description of procedure
    "timeDateTime" : "<dateTime>"
  }],
  "container" : [{ // Direct container of specimen (tube/slide, etc.)
    "identifier" : [{ Identifier }], // Id for the container
    "description" : "<string>", // Textual description of the container
    "type" : { CodeableConcept }, // Kind of container directly associated with specimen
  }],
  "condition" : [{ CodeableConcept }], // State of the specimen
  "note" : [{ Annotation }] // Comments
}

Example

{
  "resourceType": "Specimen",
      "subject": {
        "reference": "Patient/example"
      },
      "receivedTime": "2015-08-16T07:03:00Z",
      "collection": {
        "collector": {
          "display": "Patient"
        },
        "collectedDateTime": "2011-08-16T06:15:00Z",
        "method": {
          "coding": [
            {
              "system": "<http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/v2-0488>",
              "code": "LNV"
            }
          ]
        }
      },
  "status": "available",
  "type": {
    "coding": [
      {
        "system": "<http://snomed.info/sct>",
        "code": "429951000124103",
        "display": "Bacterial isolate specimen"
      }
    ]
  },
  "subject": {
    "reference": "Patient/example"
  },
  "receivedTime": "2015-08-18T07:03:00Z",
  "parent": [
    {
      "reference": "#stool"
    }
  ],
  "collection": {
    "collector": {
      "reference": "Practitioner/f202"
    },
    "collectedDateTime": "2015-08-16T07:03:00Z",
    "method": {
      "coding": [
        {
          "system": "<http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/v2-0488>",
          "code": "BAP"
        }
      ]
    }
  },
  "note": [
    {
      "text": "Patient dropped off specimen"
    }
  ]
}

Mappings to DOH Data Set

References

Referenced by the Observation resource