Object class - Data Element Concept
The following information is applicable to data element concepts only.
Definition
The object class implemented in this data element concept.
Obligation
Mandatory completion (before Proposed registration status)
Development rules
Only one object class may be selected.
Guidance for selecting/creating an object class
An object class represents either:
- A service recipient or target group, including their needs and well-being e.g. Admitted patient, Household, Discrete Indigenous community;
- A service/care episode e.g. Community services event, Episode of care;
- A life event e.g. Injury event, Pregnancy;
- A service provider e.g. Agency, Health professional, Establishment, Laboratory, Volunteer; or
- An asset associated with a service provider/recipient e.g. Building, Dwelling.
A data element concept must pertain specifically to the selected object class. For example, the property Current pregnancy status applies only to females, and hence, should be paired with the object class Female rather than Person. For properties which apply to more than one object class (e.g. Telephone number), create a separate data element concept for each object class (e.g. Person (address)—telephone number; organisation (address)—telephone number.
For data element concepts that describe people or patients with a specific condition (e.g. acute coronary syndrome, cancer, or diabetes), the object class name should begin with the term Person with e.g. Person with diabetes.
If there is any doubt as to the most appropriate object class for a data element concept (e.g. Person or Patient), select the least specialised object class (in this case, Person).
For data element concepts which describe interventions such as medication or treatment undertaken, select the object class Person when that intervention occurred outside of an event (e.g. for medication regularly taken at home), and select an event object class when that intervention occurred within an event (e.g. for medication prescribed by an ambulance officer within an acute coronary syndrome episode).
The following table provides examples of properties which may be associated with the parent object classes Person and Service event.
Table 1: Examples of properties and their association with select parent object classes
Person | Service event |
Person characteristics e.g. name, date of birth, sex, address, country of birth, Indigenous status, hospital insurance status, field of education, name, and income unit. | Categorisations of patients/clients which primarily describe a service provider’s efficiency or effectiveness e.g. waiting time. |
Assessments of a person’s health, needs or well-being, which form part of their medical/client history e.g. blood pressure, principal diagnosis, abuse and neglect type, cataract history, medication taken, alcohol/tobacco consumption, disability status, and hypertension treatment status. | Justification for the event or sub-events e.g. assistance request reason, behaviour-related risk factor intervention purpose. |
Employment/income characteristics e.g. labour force status, occupation, government funding identifier, assessable income. | The services or care sought or provided within the event, including interventions undertaken e.g. available service activity, care type, procedure, assistance received, and anaesthesia administered. |
Living arrangements e.g. accommodation type. | The urgency or importance of the event or sub-events e.g. admission urgency status, assistance urgency, triage category. |
| The time, date, or duration of the event or sub-events (actual or intended) e.g. admission date, duration of residence, intended length of hospital stay, procedure commencement date. |
| Event funding characteristics e.g. expected principal source of funding. |