My Health Record FHIR IG - Local Development build (v1.3.0) built by the FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) Build Tools. See the Directory of published versions

Conformance

Must support and Obligation

Labelling an element MustSupport means that implementations that produce or consume resources SHALL provide support for the element in some meaningful way. The specifications and/or profiles that define a particular implementation context SHALL make clear the required support for that context.

This implementation guide follows the usage of mustSupport and obligation established in AU Core, in which the meaning of mustSupport is specified in terms of Obligation Codes in obligation extensions on the element definition. The obligation codes used to define the minimum obligations of Must Support elements in this implementation guide are reiterated below.

Actor	Code	Display	Definition	Notes
MHR Gateway Requester	SHALL:handle	SHALL correctly handle	Conformant applications SHALL handle the meaning of this element correctly.	This rule is vague in that doesn't specify any particular handling of the element. But it's important because an application that ignores this element is non-conformant. A good example would be a status code of 'entered-in-error' - how exactly a Resource Consumer handles this depends on the use case etc., but the application can never simply ignore such a status code. Note that whether the resource or information from it is stored for later use is irrelevant - when the resource or information in it is processed, the consequences of the element are considered. That may mean not retaining the information for later use, or informing the user, etc. Typically, this obligation marks that there are known patient safety issues that can arise if the element is ignored. Implementers should pay particular attention to the possible range of values for the element from a safety perspective.

Another key component is the actor that plays a role in data exchange. Implementers need to be aware that profiles deriving from AU Core will inherit AU Core mustSupport, obligation and actor definitions.

The following actors exhibit these behaviours in the context of this implementation guide:

• Systems connecting to the My Health Record system via the My Health Record FHIR Gateway
  • SHALL act as a MHR Gateway Requester
  • MAY act as an AU Core Requester
• FOR DISCUSSION The My Health Record system
  • SHALL act as a MHR Gateway Responder
  • MAY act as an AU Core Responder

Must Support elements are treated differently depending on the actors. Must Support obligations on a profile element for a MHR Gateway Requester are reiterated below and SHALL be interpreted as follows.

MHR Gateway Requester

A MHR Gateway Requester:

• SHALL correctly handle the meaning of elements flagged with the handle obligation code.

FOR DISCUSSION: How the system handles the information depends on local requirements that could align with obligation terms such as display, process, or print.

Presentation of elements labelled MustSupport and Obligation in profile views

When rendered in an implementation publication, each profile is presented different formal views of all the elements in a tree format.

• The elements labelled mustSupport are flagged with an S.
• The elements labelled obligation are flagged with an O.
• The elements labelled with both mustSupport and obligation are flagged with an SO.

To see the full set of elements that must be supported and obligations associated with its use, a reader must use the "Key Elements Table" or "Snapshot Table". Implementers should take note that the "Differential Table" only represents constraints introduced on the base profile.