org.hl7.rim
public interface Procedure extends RimObject, Act
An Act whose immediate and primary outcome (post-condition) is the alteration of the physical condition of the subject.
Examples: Procedures may involve the disruption of some body surface (e.g. an incision in a surgical procedure) conservative procedures such as reduction of a luxated join, including physiotherapy such as chiropractic treatment, massage, balneotherapy, acupuncture, shiatsu, etc. Outside of clinical medicine, procedures may be such things as alteration of environments (e.g. straightening rivers, draining swamps, building dams) or the repair or change of machinery etc.
Discussion: Applied to clinical medicine, procedure is but one among several types of clinical activities such as observation, substance-administrations, and communicative interactions (e.g. teaching, advice, psychotherapy, represented simply as Acts without special attributes). Procedure does not subsume those other activities nor is procedure subsumed by them. Notably Procedure does not comprise all acts of whose intent is intervention or treatment. Whether the bodily alteration is appreciated or intended as beneficial to the subject is likewise irrelevant, what counts is that the act is essentially an alteration of the physical condition of the subject.
The choice between representations for real activities is based on whether the specific properties of procedure are applicable and whether the activity or activity step's necessary post-condition is the physical alteration. For example, taking an x-ray image may sometimes be called "procedure", but it is not a Procedure in the RIM sense for an x-ray image is not done to alter the physical condition of the body.
Many clinical activities combine Acts of Observation and Procedure nature into one composite. For instance, interventional radiology (e.g., catheter directed thrombolysis) does both observing and treating, and most surgical procedures include conscious and documented Observation steps. These clinical activities therefore are best represented by multiple component acts each of the appropriate type.
| Method Summary | |
|---|---|
| SET<CD> | getApproachSiteCode()
Gets attribute approachSiteCode of type SET |
| SET<CE> | getMethodCode()
Gets attribute methodCode of type SET |
| SET<CD> | getTargetSiteCode()
Gets attribute targetSiteCode of type SET |
| void | setApproachSiteCode(SET<CD> value)
Sets attribute approachSiteCode of type SET |
| void | setMethodCode(SET<CE> value)
Sets attribute methodCode of type SET |
| void | setTargetSiteCode(SET<CD> value)
Sets attribute targetSiteCode of type SET |
The anatomical site or system through which the procedure reaches its target (see targetSiteCode).
Examples:
Nephrectomy can have a trans-abdominal or a primarily retroperitoneal approach
An arteria pulmonalis catheter targets a pulmonary artery but the approach site is typically the vena carotis interna or the vena subclavia, at the neck or the fossa subclavia respectively.
For non-invasive procedures, e.g., acupuncture, the approach site is the punctured area of the skin.
Discussion: If the subject of the Act is something other than a human patient or animal, the attribute is used analogously to specify a structural landmark of the thing where the act focuses.
Some approach sites can also be "pre-coordinated" in the Act definition, so that there is never an option to select different body sites. The same information structure can handle both the pre-coordinated and the post-coordinated approach.
Returns: the attribute value
Identifies the means or technique used to perform the procedure.
Discussion: For any Procedure there may be several different methods to achieve by and large the same result, but may be important to know when interpreting a report more thoroughly (e.g., cholecystectomy: open vs. laparoscopic). Method concepts can be "pre-coordinated" in the Act definition. There are many possible methods, which all depend heavily on the particular kind of Procedure, so that defining a vocabulary domain of all methods is difficult. However, a code system might be designed such that it specifies a set of available methods for each defined Procedure concept. Thus, a user ordering a Procedure could select one of several variances of the act by means of the method code. Available method variances may also be defined in a master service catalog for each defined Procedure. In act definition records (Act.moodCode = DEF) the methodCode attribute is a set of all available method codes that a user may select while ordering, or expect while receiving results.
Returns: the attribute value
The anatomical site or system that is the focus of the procedure.
Examples:
A Nephrectomy's target site is the right or left kidney
An arteria pulmonalis catheter targets a pulmonary artery.
For non-invasive procedures, e.g., acupuncture, the target site is the organ/system that is sought to be influenced (e.g., "the liver").
Discussion: If the subject of the Act is something other than a human patient or animal, the attribute is used analogously to specify a structural landmark of the thing where the act focuses.
Some target sites can also be "pre-coordinated" in the Act definition, so that there is never an option to select different body sites. The same information structure can handle both the pre-coordinated and the post-coordinated approach.
Returns: the attribute value
The anatomical site or system through which the procedure reaches its target (see targetSiteCode).
Examples:
Nephrectomy can have a trans-abdominal or a primarily retroperitoneal approach
An arteria pulmonalis catheter targets a pulmonary artery but the approach site is typically the vena carotis interna or the vena subclavia, at the neck or the fossa subclavia respectively.
For non-invasive procedures, e.g., acupuncture, the approach site is the punctured area of the skin.
Discussion: If the subject of the Act is something other than a human patient or animal, the attribute is used analogously to specify a structural landmark of the thing where the act focuses.
Some approach sites can also be "pre-coordinated" in the Act definition, so that there is never an option to select different body sites. The same information structure can handle both the pre-coordinated and the post-coordinated approach.
Parameters: value the new attribute value
Identifies the means or technique used to perform the procedure.
Discussion: For any Procedure there may be several different methods to achieve by and large the same result, but may be important to know when interpreting a report more thoroughly (e.g., cholecystectomy: open vs. laparoscopic). Method concepts can be "pre-coordinated" in the Act definition. There are many possible methods, which all depend heavily on the particular kind of Procedure, so that defining a vocabulary domain of all methods is difficult. However, a code system might be designed such that it specifies a set of available methods for each defined Procedure concept. Thus, a user ordering a Procedure could select one of several variances of the act by means of the method code. Available method variances may also be defined in a master service catalog for each defined Procedure. In act definition records (Act.moodCode = DEF) the methodCode attribute is a set of all available method codes that a user may select while ordering, or expect while receiving results.
Parameters: value the new attribute value
The anatomical site or system that is the focus of the procedure.
Examples:
A Nephrectomy's target site is the right or left kidney
An arteria pulmonalis catheter targets a pulmonary artery.
For non-invasive procedures, e.g., acupuncture, the target site is the organ/system that is sought to be influenced (e.g., "the liver").
Discussion: If the subject of the Act is something other than a human patient or animal, the attribute is used analogously to specify a structural landmark of the thing where the act focuses.
Some target sites can also be "pre-coordinated" in the Act definition, so that there is never an option to select different body sites. The same information structure can handle both the pre-coordinated and the post-coordinated approach.
Parameters: value the new attribute value