HL7 varies Variable Datatype
HL7 datatype components varies 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
The varies datatype is another variable-value placeholder. Do not parse it as one fixed component layout; look at the field definition, the value type, and the implementation guide.
You may not see varies often in ordinary ADT, order, or result feeds. When it does appear, let the field definition and local implementation guide drive how much of it to populate.
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.
The Value
varies is primitive in this v2.5.1 reference data, so there are no caret-separated components to expand. The whole field value is the datatype value. That makes it quick to read, but it also means validation has to happen at the field level: the datatype will not give you extra components to explain what the value means.
Practical Notes
The trap is parsing it before you know what it is. For variable datatype fields, inspect the field definition and any companion value-type field first, then parse the value using the datatype named there.
In HL7 Soup Web, click a field that uses varies to see the field meaning beside the raw value. For primitive datatypes, that quick field-level check is usually more useful than looking for components that do not exist.
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.