HL7 SPS Specimen Source

HL7 datatype components SPS components from HL7 v2.5.1 Hide components

These are the generated components for the version selected at the top of the page. The article stays practical, and this panel follows the chosen HL7 version.

Components

PosComponentNameTypeTableDescription
1 SPS.1 Specimen Source Name or Code CWE Specimen Source Name or Code; Type CWE.
2 SPS.2 Additives CWE 0371 Additives; Type CWE; HL7 table 0371.
3 SPS.3 Specimen Collection Method TX Specimen Collection Method; Type TX.
4 SPS.4 Body Site CWE 0163 Body Site; Type CWE; HL7 table 0163.
5 SPS.5 Site Modifier CWE 0495 Site Modifier; Type CWE; HL7 table 0495.
6 SPS.6 Collection Method Modifier Code CWE Collection Method Modifier Code; Type CWE.
7 SPS.7 Specimen Role CWE 0369 Specimen Role; Type CWE; HL7 table 0369.

SPS carries specimen source detail. It is older than SPM but still appears in OBR-15 and related fields, especially where specimen source site and collection modifiers are packed into one field.

In this guide, SPS appears in OBR.15, SAC.6, TCC.3. That used-by list is a good reality check: the datatype is only half the story, and the field that uses it tells you the workflow.

The component panel above is expanded by default because most datatype pages are used as quick lookup pages. Start there for the exact HL7 v2.5.1 shape, then use the notes below for the practical gotchas.

SPS-1 to SPS-7: Component Quick Read

The generated component panel above is the formal quick lookup. The short version is below so you can scan the shape without counting carets by eye.

The table-backed components here are SPS-2, SPS-4, SPS-5, SPS-7. Keep those values to the table or value set your implementation guide names, especially when the field is crossing organization boundaries.

  • SPS-1 Specimen Source Name or Code - Specimen Source Name or Code. Type CWE.
  • SPS-2 Additives - Additives. Type CWE. Table 0371.
  • SPS-3 Specimen Collection Method - Specimen Collection Method. Type TX.
  • SPS-4 Body Site - Body Site. Type CWE. Table 0163.
  • SPS-5 Site Modifier - Site Modifier. Type CWE. Table 0495.
  • SPS-6 Collection Method Modifier Code - Collection Method Modifier Code. Type CWE.
  • SPS-7 Specimen Role - Specimen Role. Type CWE. Table 0369.

Practical Notes

Text still has to survive HL7 delimiters. If the source value can contain |, ^, ~, &, or a backslash, encode it before putting it into the message. Integration Soup and the HL7 parser helpers include HL7Encode and HL7Decode for that exact kind of cleanup.

In HL7 Soup Web, click a field that uses SPS and the interpretation view will show which component you are sitting in and where that value lives in the raw message. That is especially handy with compact datatypes because one missing caret can move every value after it.

Official and Reference Notes

For formal reference, compare the generated HL7 v2.5.1 panel above with the HL7 v2.5.1 datatype list and the HL7 Terminology data type code system. Local implementation guides can narrow allowed values, tables, and component usage.

Related Datatypes

Related quick lookups: CWE, TX.