Are optional elements defined for all resources universally required?

Are optional elements defined for all resources universally required?

• A. No, they are optional
• B. Yes, they are mandatory
• C. They are deprecated
• D. They are not defined

Answer: (A)

In FHIR, each resource defines its own set of elements and assigns a cardinality to each one. Elements with a minimum of zero are optional, meaning they may be included but aren’t required for the resource to be valid. Since the base resource definitions specify which elements exist and whether they’re required, optional elements are defined for many resources, but not required across all of them. Also, some contexts use profiles or “must support” constraints that can make certain elements effectively required in a particular use case, but that’s an added rule, not a universal requirement for every resource. So optional elements are indeed defined, but they’re not universally required.

In FHIR, each resource defines its own set of elements and assigns a cardinality to each one. Elements with a minimum of zero are optional, meaning they may be included but aren’t required for the resource to be valid. Since the base resource definitions specify which elements exist and whether they’re required, optional elements are defined for many resources, but not required across all of them. Also, some contexts use profiles or “must support” constraints that can make certain elements effectively required in a particular use case, but that’s an added rule, not a universal requirement for every resource. So optional elements are indeed defined, but they’re not universally required.