HL7 QBP_Q25 Personnel Information Query

Ask for staff or provider details instead of patient details.
HL7 message structure QBP_Q21 groups and segments from HL7 v2.5.1 Hide structure

These are the generated groups and segments for the version selected at the top of the page. The article explains the workflow, and this panel follows the chosen HL7 version.

Message Structure

SegmentNameRequiredRepeatable
MSH
 Message Header Yes No
SFT
 Software Segment No Yes
QPD
 Query Parameter Definition Yes No
RCP
 Response Control Parameter Yes No
DSC
 Continuation Pointer No No

QBP_Q25 is a query for personnel information. The requester supplies staff/provider search criteria and expects a response with staff demographics, credentials, organization, languages, education, affiliations, or certifications depending on the profile.

The trigger is Q25, but the structure is commonly carried as QBP^Q25^QBP_Q21. The panel below uses QBP_Q21 as the shared query structure because this local reference data groups the Q21-through-Q25 QBP query family that way.

A small QBP Q25 example

MSH|^~\&|EHR|CITYHOSP|STAFFDIR|CITYHOSP|20260717101500||QBP^Q25^QBP_Q21|QBP250001|P|2.5.1 QPD|Q25^Personnel Information by Segment Query^HL7nnn|Q250001|55555^Reader^Riley RCP|I|5^RD

What workflow it represents

The sender is usually trying to validate or enrich a provider record. That might be an ordering system checking a clinician identifier, a scheduling system finding provider metadata, or an integration engine looking up organization and credential details before routing a message.

The corresponding response is RSP_K25, which can return a staff group with STF, PRA, ORG, AFF, LAN, EDU, and CER. That is a very different payload from a patient demographics response, even though the query shell is similar.

How to read the structure

QPD names the personnel query and carries whatever staff search keys the profile defines. RCP can limit the number of returned staff records. MSH still matters for routing, permissions, and audit because staff directory queries can expose sensitive workforce data.

In a live implementation, document whether the search key is a staff ID, national provider identifier, name, login, local mnemonic, or another code. A provider's display name is rarely stable enough to be the only key.

Implementation traps

Personnel records change. Credentials expire, staff move between organizations, and names change. Treat QBP_Q25 as a current directory query, not a timeless master-data dump.

Also keep security in mind. Staff directory details may be less sensitive than patient records, but they can still reveal provider roles, locations, affiliations, and credential information that should not be available to every integration partner.

Reference notes

HL7 query event tables list Q25 in the QBP_Q21 shared query structure family, and RSP_K25 is the corresponding staff-oriented response structure. See public HL7 v2.5.1 query listings such as VICO's HL7 v2.5.1 query chapter mirror.