---
type: "codesystem"
title: "Observation Status"
codesystem: "observation-status"
---
# Observation Status

- **Official URL**: http://hl7.org/fhir/observation-status
- **Version**: 6.0.0
- **Status**: active
- **Name**: ObservationStatus
- **Title**: Observation Status
- **Publisher**: HL7 (FHIR Project)
- **Description**: Codes providing the status of an observation.
- **Case Sensitive**: true
- **Content**: complete

## Concepts

| Code | Display | Definition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| registered | Registered | The existence of the observation is registered, but there is no result yet available. |
| specimen-in-process | Specimen-in-Process | The specimen being processed in the laboratory but no results are available yet. |
| preliminary | Preliminary | This is an initial or interim observation: data may be incomplete or unverified. |
| final | Final | The observation is complete and there are no further actions needed. Additional information such "released", "signed", etc. would be represented using [Provenance](provenance.html) which provides not only the act but also the actors and dates and other related data. These act states would be associated with an observation status of `preliminary` until they are all completed and then a status of `final` would be applied. Also, this status applies for situations where there is a "not-asked" code for dataAbsentReason. |
| amended | Amended | Subsequent to being Final, the observation has been modified. This includes updates/new information and corrections. |
| cancelled | Cancelled | The observation is unavailable because the measurement was not started or not completed (also sometimes called "aborted"). A data absent reason should be present providing clarity as to why there is no value on an Observation instance |
| entered-in-error | Entered in Error | The observation has been withdrawn following previous final release.  This electronic record should never have existed, though it is possible that real-world decisions were based on it. (If real-world activity has occurred, the status should be "cancelled" rather than "entered-in-error".). |
| unknown | Unknown | The authoring/source system does not know which of the status values currently applies for this observation. Note: This concept is not to be used for "other" - one of the listed statuses is presumed to apply, but the authoring/source system does not know which. |
| cannot-be-obtained | Cannot be obtained | The observation cannot be obtained. |

## CodeSystem XML



```xml
<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>

<CodeSystem xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir">
  <id value="observation-status"/>
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-wg">
    <valueCode value="oo"/>
  </extension>
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-standards-status">
    <valueCode value="normative"/>
  </extension>
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-fmm">
    <valueInteger value="5"/>
  </extension>
  <url value="http://hl7.org/fhir/observation-status"/>
  <identifier>
    <system value="urn:ietf:rfc:3986"/>
    <value value="urn:oid:2.16.840.1.113883.4.642.4.401"/>
  </identifier>
  <identifier>
    <use value="old"/>
    <system value="urn:ietf:rfc:3986"/>
    <value value="urn:oid:2.16.840.1.113883.4.642.1.388"/>
  </identifier>
  <identifier>
    <use value="old"/>
    <system value="urn:ietf:rfc:3986"/>
    <value value="urn:oid:2.16.840.1.113883.4.642.2.219"/>
  </identifier>
  <version value="6.0.0"/>
  <name value="ObservationStatus"/>
  <title value="Observation Status"/>
  <status value="active"/>
  <experimental value="false"/>
  <date value="2021-01-05T10:01:24+11:00"/>
  <publisher value="HL7 (FHIR Project)"/>
  <contact>
    <telecom>
      <system value="url"/>
      <value value="http://hl7.org/fhir"/>
    </telecom>
    <telecom>
      <system value="email"/>
      <value value="fhir@lists.hl7.org"/>
    </telecom>
  </contact>
  <description value="Codes providing the status of an observation."/>
  <caseSensitive value="true"/>
  <valueSet value="http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/observation-status"/>
  <hierarchyMeaning value="is-a"/>
  <content value="complete"/>
  <concept>
    <code value="registered"/>
    <display value="Registered"/>
    <definition value="The existence of the observation is registered, but there is no result yet available."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="specimen-in-process"/>
    <display value="Specimen-in-Process"/>
    <definition value="The specimen being processed in the laboratory but no results are available yet."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="preliminary"/>
    <display value="Preliminary"/>
    <definition value="This is an initial or interim observation: data may be incomplete or unverified."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="final"/>
    <display value="Final"/>
    <definition value="The observation is complete and there are no further actions needed. Additional information such &quot;released&quot;, &quot;signed&quot;, etc. would be represented using [Provenance](provenance.html) which provides not only the act but also the actors and dates and other related data. These act states would be associated with an observation status of `preliminary` until they are all completed and then a status of `final` would be applied. Also, this status applies for situations where there is a &quot;not-asked&quot; code for dataAbsentReason."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="amended"/>
    <display value="Amended"/>
    <definition value="Subsequent to being Final, the observation has been modified. This includes updates/new information and corrections."/>
    <concept>
      <code value="corrected"/>
      <display value="Corrected"/>
      <definition value="Subsequent to being Final, the observation has been modified to correct an error in the original test result(s)."/>
    </concept>
    <concept>
      <code value="appended"/>
      <display value="Appended"/>
      <definition value="Subsequent to being Final, the observation has been modified to include additional information, with no changes to the original test result(s)."/>
    </concept>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="cancelled"/>
    <display value="Cancelled"/>
    <definition value="The observation is unavailable because the measurement was not started or not completed (also sometimes called &quot;aborted&quot;). A data absent reason should be present providing clarity as to why there is no value on an Observation instance"/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="entered-in-error"/>
    <display value="Entered in Error"/>
    <definition value="The observation has been withdrawn following previous final release.  This electronic record should never have existed, though it is possible that real-world decisions were based on it. (If real-world activity has occurred, the status should be &quot;cancelled&quot; rather than &quot;entered-in-error&quot;.)."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="unknown"/>
    <display value="Unknown"/>
    <definition value="The authoring/source system does not know which of the status values currently applies for this observation. Note: This concept is not to be used for &quot;other&quot; - one of the listed statuses is presumed to apply, but the authoring/source system does not know which."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="cannot-be-obtained"/>
    <display value="Cannot be obtained"/>
    <definition value="The observation cannot be obtained."/>
  </concept>
</CodeSystem>
```