Patient Element Documentation

Overview

The Patient element represents a person who is the subject of healthcare services. This is typically the first element you’ll add to any FHIR document, as it provides the context for all other clinical information.

Function

builder.add_patient(
    name: Union[str, dict, HumanName],
    age: Optional[Union[int, Tuple[int, str]]] = None,
    birth_date: Optional[DateTimeInput] = None,
    gender: Optional[str] = None,
    identifiers: Optional[List[Tuple[str, Union[str, Tuple[str, str]]]]] = None,
    address: Optional[Union[str, dict]] = None,
    phone: Optional[str] = None,
    email: Optional[str] = None,
    id: Optional[str] = None,
) -> Patient

Parameters

Required Parameters

• name: Patient’s full name as a string (e.g., “John Doe”)

Optional Parameters

• age: Patient’s age as integer (years) or tuple (value, unit)
• birth_date: Date of birth (alternative to age)
• gender: Patient’s gender (“male”, “female”, “other”, “unknown”)
• identifiers: List of patient identifiers (ID number, ID type)
• address: Patient’s address as string
• phone: Phone number
• email: Email address
• id: Custom resource ID

Basic Usage

Simple Patient

from fhir_sdk import FHIRDocumentBuilder

builder = FHIRDocumentBuilder()

# Add patient with minimal information
patient = builder.add_patient(
    name="John Doe",
    age=30,
    gender="male"
)

Comprehensive Patient

# Add patient with full details
patient = builder.add_patient(
    name="Sarah Johnson",
    age=28,
    gender="female",
    identifiers=[
        ("ABHA-1234567890", "ABHA"),
        ("MRN-001234", "MRN"),
        ("9876543210", "mobile")
    ],
    address="123 Main Street, New York, NY 10001",
    phone="555-123-4567",
    email="sarah.johnson@email.com"
)

Using Birth Date Instead of Age

from datetime import date

patient = builder.add_patient(
    name="Michael Brown",
    birth_date=date(1990, 5, 15),
    gender="male"
)

Identifier Types

Common identifier types supported:

• "ABHA" - Ayushman Bharat Health Account
• "MRN" - Medical Record Number
• "mobile" - Mobile phone number
• "NI" - National Identifier
• "PPN" - Passport Number
• "DL" - Driver’s License
• "SS" - Social Security Number

Name Formats

The name parameter accepts:

• String: "John Doe"
• Dictionary: {"given": ["John"], "family": "Doe"}
• HumanName object: For complex name structures

Best Practices

1. Always add a patient before adding any other clinical elements
2. Include at least one identifier for patient matching
3. Use consistent name format throughout your application
4. Provide either age or birth_date for age-sensitive calculations
5. Include contact information for patient communication

Notes

• Patient serves as the subject reference for all other clinical resources
• The patient ID is automatically used in references from other resources
• Multiple identifiers help with patient matching across systems
• Age is stored as an extension when provided (FHIR R5 standard)