fhir-structuredefinition

To debug FHIR validation failures, inspect the StructureDefinition and ElementDefinition to pinpoint the exact rule being violated. Check elements like path, cardinality, type, binding, and constraints to identify mismatches in your resource data.

In a FHIR StructureDefinition, the differential section contains only the changes from the base definition, while the snapshot section provides the complete, resolved list of all elements. The snapshot is typically used for validation and data manipulation.

In FHIR profiling, ElementDefinition slicing divides a set of repeated elements into distinct groups to enforce specific constraints on each slice. You define slicing rules using the slicing element within an ElementDefinition to differentiate and validate repeating data segments.

FHIRPath expressions are used within StructureDefinition constraints to define custom validation rules. They allow you to evaluate logical conditions against the resource data, ensuring that specific elements meet complex criteria beyond standard cardinality and type checks.

Key components of a FHIR StructureDefinition include kind, type, baseDefinition, snapshot, and differential. These elements define whether the resource is a profile or extension, its base structure, and the resolved or differential list of ElementDefinitions for validation.