UK Core Implementation Guide 1.0.0

`Address`

An address expressed using postal conventions (as opposed to GPS or other location definition formats). This datatype may be used to convey addresses for use in delivering mail as well as for visiting locations which might not be valid for mail delivery. There are a variety of postal address formats defined around the world.

The Address datatype has the following elements and this is an overview of the datatype with additional UK Core guidance. The full definition is available from the FHIR standard.

The address datatype has a UK Core extension Extension UKCore-AddressKey. This extension extends the Address datatype to support the exchange of the type of address key and the address key value.

Element	type	Usage Guidance	Description
`use`	code	SHOULD be present	The purpose of this address
`type`	code	SHOULD be present	The type of address
`text`	string	MAY be present	Text representation of the address
`line`	string	SHOULD be present	Street name, number, direction & P.O. Box etc.This repeating element order: The order in which lines SHOULD appear in an address label
`city`	string	SHOULD be present	Name of city, town etc
`district`	string	MAY be present	District name (aka county)
`state`	string	MAY be present	Sub-unit of country (abbreviations ok)
`postalCode`	string	SHOULD be present	postalCode - Code for area
`country`	string	MAY be present	Country (e.g. can be ISO 3166 2 or 3 letter code)
`period`	Period	MAY be present	Time period when the address was/is in use

Unstructured Addresses

text

Text representation of the address. This SHOULD only be used if a structured address as detailed below cannot be supported. It MAY be present in addition to a structured address.

Structured Addresses

Structured addresses SHOULD be used whenever possible as detailed below.

`line`

Street name, number, direction & P.O. Box etc. This repeating element order: The order in which lines SHOULD appear in an address label. Parts of the address that have distinct elements listed below SHOULD not appear in the address line elements.

The following elements SHOULD be used to carry the associated information.

city - Name of city, town etc
district - District name (aka county)
state - Sub-unit of country (abbreviations ok)
postalCode - Postal code for area
country - Country (e.g. can be ISO 3166 2 or 3 letter code)