HL7 NPU Bed Status Update
HL7 field reference NPU fields from HL7 v2.5.1 Show fields
NPU updates bed status, commonly in bed-unavailability or bed housekeeping workflows.
The standard describes NPU this way: The NPU segment allows the updating of census (bed status) data without sending patient-specific data. An example might include changing the status of a bed from "housekeeping" to "unoccupied.".
Equipment and specimen-control segments are used around instruments, analyzers, containers, device commands, device status, and test configuration. They are practical plumbing for lab and automation workflows.
The main trap is treating an equipment status as if it were a clinical result, or treating a specimen/container identifier as if it were interchangeable with a patient or order identifier. Keep the layers separate.
The v2.5.1 structures show NPU in ADT_A20 - Bed status update. That tells you where it can appear, but the implementation guide still decides which optional fields are meaningful.
For practical interface work, read the generated field panel for datatype, required, repeatable, and table details, then use the notes below to decide what the field should mean in the receiving workflow.
NPU-1 places the equipment or specimen workflow in an organization, facility, department, room, bed, or location group. Keep physical location, owning department, and receiving facility separate when the datatype allows it.
The generated panel links this to HL7 table 0079; many real interfaces narrow that list further, so follow the receiver's implementation guide.
NPU-2 tells the receiver the state of this equipment or specimen workflow. Status fields often drive workflow branches, so use the agreed code and do not infer a status just because another field looks complete.
The coded value should follow HL7 table 0116 or the narrower table in the local profile.