I have a question about the scope of specimenDefintion.patientPreparation.
Is there a specific reason that the patientPreparation attribute is defined on the specimenDefinition and not on the observationDefinition?
In our case defining the specific preparations a patient has to undergo in order to complete an analysis would rather be dependant on what type of observation is about to be made, rather than what specimen should be collected.
In this case what would be a good way to model the preparations a patient has to undergo in order to qualify for a certain analysis?
It may be that there is value in having it in both places. However, because a single specimen might be used for multiple tests, knowing what the rules are for collecting the the specimen is distinct from what is necessary prior to the test being run. Feel free to submit a change request proposing the addition of patientPreparation to ObservationDefinition as well. (Use the ‘propose a change’ link at the bottom of any page in the spec.)