Nine QDM datatypes include the action “Recommended” which represents the clinician's proposal to the patient about a specific treatment or action. The meaning is implicit. Electronic health records vary with respect to how they might represent recommendations. However, Health Level Seven International® (HL7®) Fast Healthcare Interoperability Resources® (FHIR®) provides a method to indicate intent in data exchange. An intent = plan represents a recommendation and an intent = order represents an order. Thus, QDM attributes are consistent with evolving HL7 standards for data exchange. “Recommended” does not address a suggested action based on clinical decision support (CDS), represented in HL7 FHIR as intent = proposal. The QDM action “Performed” indicates completion of an action. The comparable concept in HL7 FHIR includes the resource (e.g., Procedure) plus a status = completed.
In looking at QDM datatypes, such as “Procedure,” can you clarify the intent of “Recommended” versus “Ordered” or “Performed”?
Last Updated: Sep 13, 2023