HL7 Terminology (THO)
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This page is part of the HL7 Terminology (v6.0.2: Release) based on FHIR (HL7® FHIR® Standard) v5.0.0. This is the current published version in its permanent home (it will always be available at this URL). For a full list of available versions, see the Directory of published versions

CodeSystem: NullFlavor

Official URL: http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/v3-NullFlavor Version: 3.0.0
Active as of 2019-03-20 Responsible: Health Level Seven International Computable Name: NullFlavor
Other Identifiers: OID:2.16.840.1.113883.5.1008

Copyright/Legal: This material derives from the HL7 Terminology THO. THO is copyright ©1989+ Health Level Seven International and is made available under the CC0 designation. For more licensing information see: https://terminology.hl7.org/license.html

A collection of codes specifying why a valid value is not present.

This Code system is referenced in the content logical definition of the following value sets:

Generated Narrative: CodeSystem v3-NullFlavor

Language: en

Properties

This code system defines the following properties for its concepts

NameCodeURITypeDescription
Specializes Specializes Coding The child code is a more narrow version of the concept represented by the parent code. I.e. Every child concept is also a valid parent concept. Used to allow determination of subsumption. Must be transitive, irreflexive, antisymmetric.
Generalizes Generalizes Coding Inverse of Specializes. Only included as a derived relationship.
internalId internalId http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/utg-concept-properties#v3-internal-id code The internal identifier for the concept in the HL7 Access database repository.
Status status http://hl7.org/fhir/concept-properties#status code Designation of a concept's state. Normally is not populated unless the state is retired..
HL7 Concept Usage Notes HL7usageNotes http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/utg-concept-properties#HL7usageNotes string HL7 Concept Usage Notes
Parent subsumedBy http://hl7.org/fhir/concept-properties#parent code The concept code of a parent concept

Concepts

This case-sensitive code system http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/v3-NullFlavor defines the following codes in a Is-A hierarchy:

LvlCodeDisplayDefinitioninternalIdStatusHL7 Concept Usage NotesParent
1 NI NoInformation

**Description:**The value is exceptional (missing, omitted, incomplete, improper). No information as to the reason for being an exceptional value is provided. This is the most general exceptional value. It is also the default exceptional value.

10610 active
2   INV invalid

**Description:**The value as represented in the instance is not a member of the set of permitted data values in the constrained value domain of a variable.

22656 active NI
3     DER derived

**Description:**An actual value may exist, but it must be derived from the provided information (usually an EXPR generic data type extension will be used to convey the derivation expressionexpression .

22657 active INV
3     OTH other

**Description:**The actual value is not a member of the set of permitted data values in the constrained value domain of a variable. (e.g., concept not provided by required code system).

Usage Notes: This flavor and its specializations are most commonly used with the CD datatype and its flavors. However, it may apply to *any* datatype where the constraints of the type are tighter than can be conveyed. For example, a PQ that is for a true measured amount whose units are not supported in UCUM, a need to convey a REAL when the type has been constrained to INT, etc.

With coded datatypes, this null flavor may only be used if the vocabulary binding has a coding strength of CNE. By definition, all local codes and original text are part of the value set if the coding strength is CWE.

10616 active This flavor and its specializations are most commonly used with the CD datatype and its flavors. However, it may apply to *any* datatype where the constraints of the type are tighter than can be conveyed. For example, a PQ that is for a true measured amount whose units are not supported in UCUM, a need to convey a REAL when the type has been constrained to INT, etc. With coded datatypes, this null flavor may only be used if the vocabulary binding has a coding strength of CNE. By definition, all local codes and original text are part of the value set if the coding strength is CWE. INV
4       NINF negative infinity

Negative infinity of numbers.

10618 active OTH
4       PINF positive infinity

Positive infinity of numbers.

10617 active OTH
3     UNC un-encoded

Description: The actual value has not yet been encoded within the approved value domain.

Example: Original text or a local code has been specified but translation or encoding to the approved value set has not yet occurred due to limitations of the sending system. Original text has been captured for a PQ, but not attempt has been made to split the value and unit or to encode the unit in UCUM.

Usage Notes: If it is known that it is not possible to encode the concept, OTH should be used instead. However, use of UNC does not necessarily guarantee the concept will be encodable, only that encoding has not been attempted.

Data type properties such as original text and translations may be present when this null flavor is included.

22185 active If it is known that it is not possible to encode the concept, OTH should be used instead. However, use of UNC does not necessarily guarantee the concept will be encodable, only that encoding has not been attempted. Data type properties such as original text and translations may be present when this null flavor is included. INV
2   MSK masked

There is information on this item available but it has not been provided by the sender due to security, privacy or other reasons. There may be an alternate mechanism for gaining access to this information.

Note: using this null flavor does provide information that may be a breach of confidentiality, even though no detail data is provided. Its primary purpose is for those circumstances where it is necessary to inform the receiver that the information does exist without providing any detail.

17932 active NI
2   NA not applicable

Known to have no proper value (e.g., last menstrual period for a male).

10611 active NI
2   UNK unknown

**Description:**A proper value is applicable, but not known.

Usage Notes: This means the actual value is not known. If the only thing that is unknown is how to properly express the value in the necessary constraints (value set, datatype, etc.), then the OTH or UNC flavor should be used. No properties should be included for a datatype with this property unless:

  1. Those properties themselves directly translate to a semantic of "unknown". (E.g. a local code sent as a translation that conveys 'unknown')
  2. Those properties further qualify the nature of what is unknown. (E.g. specifying a use code of "H" and a URL prefix of "tel:" to convey that it is the home phone number that is unknown.)
10612 active This means the actual value is not known. If the only thing that is unknown is how to properly express the value in the necessary constraints (value set, datatype, etc.), then the OTH or UNC flavor should be used. No properties should be included for a datatype with this property unless: Those properties themselves directly translate to a semantic of "unknown". (E.g. a local code sent as a translation that conveys 'unknown') Those properties further qualify the nature of what is unknown. (E.g. specifying a use code of "H" and a URL prefix of "tel:" to convey that it is the home phone number that is unknown.) NI
3     ASKU asked but unknown

Information was sought but not found (e.g., patient was asked but didn't know)

10614 active UNK
4       NAV temporarily unavailable

Information is not available at this time but it is expected that it will be available later.

10615 active ASKU, NAVU
3     NASK not asked

This information has not been sought (e.g., patient was not asked)

10613 active UNK
3     NAVU Not available

Information is not available at this time (with no expectation regarding whether it will or will not be available in the future).

23731 active UNK
4       NAV temporarily unavailable
3     QS Sufficient Quantity

**Description:**The specific quantity is not known, but is known to be non-zero and is not specified because it makes up the bulk of the material. e.g. 'Add 10mg of ingredient X, 50mg of ingredient Y, and sufficient quantity of water to 100mL.' The null flavor would be used to express the quantity of water.

21436 active UNK
3     TRC trace

The content is greater than zero, but too small to be quantified.

21386 active UNK
1 NP not present

Value is not present in a message. This is only defined in messages, never in application data! All values not present in the message must be replaced by the applicable default, or no-information (NI) as the default of all defaults.

10619 retired

History

DateActionAuthorCustodianComment
2023-11-14reviseMarc DuteauTSMGAdd standard copyright and contact to internal content; up-476
2022-10-18reviseMarc DuteauTSMGFixing missing metadata; up-349
2022-02-17 00:00:32+1100reviseGrahame GrieveVocabulary WGPopulate Missing caseSensitive property; UP-286
2020-05-06reviseTed KleinVocabulary WGMigrated to the UTG maintenance environment and publishing tooling.