Stream: patient administration WG
Topic: why is birthDate not a DateTime
Patrik Sundberg (Feb 20 2018 at 05:48):
I'm sure this has been discussed before; is there a FAQ somewhere?
Why is Patient.birthDate not a DateTime? There are cases where the time is known and matters (for newborns, in particular), and I've seen extensions floating around also. Why not switch the types before Patient becomes normative?
Brian Postlethwaite (Feb 20 2018 at 05:49):
http://hl7.org/fhir/patient-definitions.html#Patient.birthDate
Covers the standard extension for the time component when desired
And my blog has a write-up on why...
https://brianpos.com/2016/10/19/patient-birth-date-no-time/
Brian Postlethwaite (Feb 20 2018 at 05:51):
Most usage doesn't require times, and the complexity of having times introduces the mess that is timezones. So for those cases that need it, the standard extension is there. And everyone else doesn't have to deal with the mess.
Last updated: Apr 12 2022 at 19:14 UTC
