---
type: "resource-definitions"
title: "Flag Definitions"
resource: "Flag"
---

# Flag Definitions

<a id="Flag"></a>

## Flag
Key information to flag to healthcare providers

**Definition:** Prospective warnings of potential issues when providing care to the patient.

**Aliases:** Barriers to Care, Alert, Warning

**Cardinality:** 0..*

**Mappings:** rim=Observation[classCode=ISSUE, moodCode=EVN]; w5=workflow.encounter


<a id="Flag.identifier"></a>

## Flag.identifier
Business identifier

**Definition:** Business identifiers assigned to this flag by the performer or other systems which remain constant as the resource is updated and propagates from server to server.

**Comments:** This is a business identifier, not a resource identifier (see [discussion](resource.html#identifiers)).  It is best practice for the identifier to only appear on a single resource instance, however business practices may occasionally dictate that multiple resource instances with the same identifier can exist - possibly even with different resource types.  For example, multiple Patient and a Person resource instance might share the same social insurance number.

**Requirements:** Allows identification of the flag as it is known by various participating systems and in a way that remains consistent across servers.

**Cardinality:** 0..*

**Type:** [Identifier](/Identifier)

**Summary:** true

**Mappings:** w5=FiveWs.identifier; rim=.id


<a id="Flag.status"></a>

## Flag.status
active | inactive | entered-in-error

**Definition:** Supports basic workflow.

**Comments:** This element is labeled as a modifier because the status contains codes that mark the resource as not currently valid.

**Meaning if Missing:** When status is not valued, it means the status is unknown.

**Cardinality:** 0..1

**Type:** [code](/code)

**Binding:** required:[flag-status](/valueset-flag-status)

**Summary:** true

**Is Modifier:** true (Reason: This element is labelled as a modifier because it is a status element that contains status entered-in-error which means that the resource should not be treated as valid)

**Mappings:** w5=FiveWs.status; rim=.status


<a id="Flag.category"></a>

## Flag.category
Clinical, administrative, etc

**Definition:** Allows a flag to be divided into different categories like clinical, administrative etc. Intended to be used as a means of filtering which flags are displayed to particular user or in a given context.

**Comments:** The value set will often need to be adjusted based on local business rules and usage context.

**Cardinality:** 0..*

**Type:** [CodeableConcept](/CodeableConcept)

**Binding:** example:[flag-category](/valueset-flag-category)

**Summary:** true

**Mappings:** w5=FiveWs.class; rim=.code


<a id="Flag.code"></a>

## Flag.code
Coded or textual message to display to user

**Definition:** The coded value or textual component of the flag to display to the user.

**Comments:** If non-coded, use CodeableConcept.text.  This element should always be included in the narrative.

**Cardinality:** 1..1

**Type:** [CodeableConcept](/CodeableConcept)

**Binding:** example:[flag-code](/valueset-flag-code)

**Summary:** true

**Mappings:** w5=FiveWs.what[x]; rim=.value


<a id="Flag.subject"></a>

## Flag.subject
Who/What is flag about?

**Definition:** The patient, related person, location, group, organization, or practitioner etc. this is about record this flag is associated with.

**Cardinality:** 1..1

**Type:** Reference([Patient](/Patient), [RelatedPerson](/RelatedPerson), [Location](/Location), [Group](/Group), [Organization](/Organization), [Practitioner](/Practitioner), [PractitionerRole](/PractitionerRole), [PlanDefinition](/PlanDefinition), [Medication](/Medication), [Procedure](/Procedure))

**Summary:** true

**Mappings:** w5=FiveWs.subject; rim=.participation[typeCode=SBJ].role[classCode=PAT | LOCE | ASSIGNED]


<a id="Flag.period"></a>

## Flag.period
Time period when flag is active

**Definition:** The period of time from the activation of the flag to inactivation of the flag. If the flag is active, the end of the period should be unspecified.

**Cardinality:** 0..1

**Type:** [Period](/Period)

**Summary:** true

**Mappings:** w5=FiveWs.context


<a id="Flag.encounter"></a>

## Flag.encounter
Alert relevant during encounter

**Definition:** This alert is only relevant during the encounter.

**Comments:** If both Flag.encounter and Flag.period are valued, then Flag.period.start shall not be before Encounter.period.start and Flag.period.end shall not be after Encounter.period.end.

**Cardinality:** 0..1

**Type:** Reference([Encounter](/Encounter))

**Summary:** true

**Mappings:** w5=FiveWs.context


<a id="Flag.author"></a>

## Flag.author
Flag creator

**Definition:** The person, organization or device that created the flag.

**Cardinality:** 0..1

**Type:** Reference([Device](/Device), [Organization](/Organization), [Patient](/Patient), [RelatedPerson](/RelatedPerson), [Practitioner](/Practitioner), [PractitionerRole](/PractitionerRole))

**Summary:** true

**Mappings:** w5=FiveWs.author; rim=.participation[typeCode=AUT].role


<a id="Flag.supportingInfo"></a>

## Flag.supportingInfo
Extra information to use in context of the flag

**Definition:** Additional information that may be relevant to the flag, such as why the flag was created or how to guide management of the flag.

**Comments:** For example, when the flag represents an alert on difficulty in intubation, supportingInfo could reference details about previous incidents of intubation problems encountered.  When the flag represents an alert on swallow or speech difficulty, supportingInfo could reference specific details about stroke or laryngeal carcinoma undergoing radiation therapy as primary or adjuvant therapy to surgery, or damage to recurrent laryngeal nerve from thyroid surgery or tumor.  Flag.supportingInfo replaced the extension [[[http://hl7.org/fhir/StructureDefinition/flag-detail]]] in R6.  In previous versions, using this extension is correct, not the R6 version extension.

**Cardinality:** 0..*

**Type:** Reference([Condition](/Condition), [Procedure](/Procedure), [AllergyIntolerance](/AllergyIntolerance), [Observation](/Observation), [RiskAssessment](/RiskAssessment))

**Summary:** false