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HL7 message properties

The HL7 messaging standard implements the Health Level Seven version 2.x messaging standard used in the health services industry. The HL7 standard is used world-wide in hospital and medical information systems.

HL7 messages use segment groups, segments, fields, components, and types.

Message

The following table describes the message properties:

Property	Setting Type	Description
ID	Global	Message identifier.
Library type	Global	Messaging standard. Set to HL7.
Library version	Global	Version of the messaging standard.
Description	Global	Description of the message.
Category	Global	Category that the message belongs to, such as patient referral.

Segment group

The following table describes the segment group properties:

Property	Setting Type	Description
ID	Global	Segment group identifier.
Usage	Positional	Mandatory or optional.
Repetitions	Positional	Number of times that the segment is repeated such as 1 or 2. For an unlimited number, enter >1 .

Segment

The following table describes the segment properties:

Property	Setting Type	Description
ID	Global	Segment identifier.
Description	Global	Description of the segment.
Usage	Positional	Mandatory or optional.
Repetitions	Positional	Number of times that the segment is repeated such as 1 or 2. For an unlimited number, enter >1 .

Field

The following table describes the field properties:

Property	Setting Type	Description
ID	Global	Field identifier. The identifier is usually the ID of the parent element followed by an index number.
Description	Global	Description of the field.
Type	Global	Field type.
Max Length	Global	Maximum length of the data.
Enumerations	Global	A list of permitted data values.
Usage	Positional	Mandatory or optional.
Repetitions	Positional	Number of times that the segment is repeated such as 1 or 2. For an unlimited number, enter >1 .

Component

The following table describes the component properties:

Property	Setting Type	Description
ID	Global	Component identifier. The identifier is usually the ID of the parent element followed by an index number.
Description	Global	Description of the component.
Type	Global	Component type.
Usage	Global	Mandatory or optional.