Medication Request Resource
Overview
The MedicationRequest resource represents an order or request for medication to be dispensed and administered to a patient. It captures the prescriber's intent for a medication treatment.
Critical Components
| Field | Description | Standard Values/Examples |
|---|---|---|
resourceType |
Always "MedicationRequest" | "MedicationRequest" |
id |
Unique identifier for the medication request | "1332480" |
meta |
Contains version information and metadata | Includes versionId, lastUpdated, and profile |
status |
Current state of the medication request | Standard Values: "active", "on-hold", "cancelled", "completed", "entered-in-error", "stopped", "draft", "unknown" |
intent |
Reason the medication was ordered | Standard Values: "proposal", "plan", "order", "original-order", "reflex-order", "filler-order", "instance-order", "option" |
category |
Classification of medication request | Common Values: "inpatient", "outpatient", "community", "discharge" |
medicationCodeableConcept |
Medication being requested | Typically uses RxNorm codes in the US |
subject |
Reference to the patient | Format: "Patient/[ID]" |
authoredOn |
Date/time when request was created | ISO 8601 date format |
requester |
Person who ordered the medication | References a Practitioner resource |
reasonReference |
Condition or observation for medication | References to Condition or Observation resources |
dosageInstruction |
How medication should be taken | Includes frequency, route, dose, etc. |
dispenseRequest |
Information about dispensing | Includes quantity, refills, duration |
Example:
{
"resourceType": "MedicationRequest",
"id": "1332480",
"meta": {
"versionId": "1",
"lastUpdated": "2025-03-20T14:21:26.914+00:00",
"source": "#c90f56fd39244b75",
"profile": [
"http://hl7.org/fhir/us/core/StructureDefinition/us-core-medicationrequest"
]
},
"status": "active",
"intent": "order",
"category": [
{
"coding": [
{
"system": "http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/medicationrequest-category",
"code": "outpatient",
"display": "Outpatient"
}
]
}
],
"medicationCodeableConcept": {
"coding": [
{
"system": "http://www.nlm.nih.gov/research/umls/rxnorm",
"code": "197381",
"display": "Amlodipine 5 MG Oral Tablet"
}
],
"text": "Amlodipine 5mg tablet"
},
"subject": {"reference": "Patient/CR7794222774698-5"},
"authoredOn": "2025-01-15",
"requester": {
"reference": "Practitioner/practitioner-1",
"display": "Dr. Jane Smith"
},
"reasonReference": [{"reference": "Condition/1332476"}],
"dosageInstruction": [
{
"text": "Take 1 tablet by mouth once daily",
"timing": {
"repeat": {"frequency": 1, "period": 1, "periodUnit": "d"}
},
"route": {
"coding": [
{
"system": "http://snomed.info/sct",
"code": "26643006",
"display": "Oral route"
}
]
},
"doseAndRate": [
{
"doseQuantity": {
"value": 1,
"unit": "tablet",
"system": "http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/v3-orderableDrugForm",
"code": "TAB"
}
}
]
}
],
"dispenseRequest": {
"numberOfRepeatsAllowed": 3,
"quantity": {
"value": 30,
"unit": "tablet",
"system": "http://terminology.hl7.org/CodeSystem/v3-orderableDrugForm",
"code": "TAB"
},
"expectedSupplyDuration": {
"value": 30,
"unit": "days",
"system": "http://unitsofmeasure.org",
"code": "d"
}
}
}
Key Details
Dosage Instructions
- Text: Human-readable instructions ("Take 1 tablet by mouth once daily")
- Timing: Structured frequency information (once daily)
- Route: How medication is administered (oral)
- Dose: Amount to take (1 tablet)
Dispense Request
- Refills: Number of refills allowed (3)
- Quantity: Amount to dispense (30 tablets)
- Duration: Expected supply duration (30 days)
Related Resources
- Links to Condition resources via
reasonReference - Links to Patient resources via
subject - Links to Practitioner resources via
requester - May relate to MedicationDispense and MedicationAdministration resources