---
type: "codesystem"
title: "VariableRole"
codesystem: "variable-role"
---
# VariableRole

- **Official URL**: http://hl7.org/fhir/variable-role
- **Version**: 6.0.0
- **Status**: active
- **Name**: Variable Role
- **Title**: VariableRole
- **Publisher**: HL7 (FHIR Project)
- **Description**: The role that the variable plays.
- **Case Sensitive**: true
- **Content**: complete

## Concepts

| Code | Display | Definition |
| --- | --- | --- |
| population | Population | The group from which the observations were obtained. |
| exposure | Exposure | An independant variable of primary interest. |
| outcome | Outcome | A dependent variable. |
| covariate | Covariate | A variable that influences the exposure or outcome. |

## CodeSystem XML



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

<CodeSystem xmlns="http://hl7.org/fhir">
  <id value="variable-role"/>
  <extension url="http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/structuredefinition-wg">
    <valueCode value="cds"/>
  </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="1"/>
  </extension>
  <url value="http://hl7.org/fhir/variable-role"/>
  <identifier>
    <system value="urn:ietf:rfc:3986"/>
    <value value="urn:oid:2.16.840.1.113883.4.642.4.2136"/>
  </identifier>
  <version value="6.0.0"/>
  <name value="Variable Role"/>
  <title value="VariableRole"/>
  <status value="active"/>
  <experimental value="false"/>
  <date value="2023-11-08T16:55:11+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="The role that the variable plays."/>
  <caseSensitive value="true"/>
  <valueSet value="http://hl7.org/fhir/ValueSet/variable-role"/>
  <content value="complete"/>
  <concept>
    <code value="population"/>
    <display value="Population"/>
    <definition value="The group from which the observations were obtained."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="exposure"/>
    <display value="Exposure"/>
    <definition value="An independant variable of primary interest."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="outcome"/>
    <display value="Outcome"/>
    <definition value="A dependent variable."/>
  </concept>
  <concept>
    <code value="covariate"/>
    <display value="Covariate"/>
    <definition value="A variable that influences the exposure or outcome."/>
  </concept>
</CodeSystem>
```