Short answer: FHIR separates four facts about a medicine that paper often mixes up. MedicationRequest is an order or prescription. MedicationDispense is the pharmacy handing it out. MedicationAdministration is a dose actually given, typically in hospital. MedicationStatement is a statement that a patient is taking, has taken or will take a medicine, from any source, including the patient. A patient's own medication list is a set of MedicationStatements.
Which one to use
- Recording what a doctor prescribed: MedicationRequest (intent: order).
- Recording what the pharmacy gave: MedicationDispense.
- Recording each dose given by a nurse: MedicationAdministration.
- Recording what the patient actually takes, including medicines bought without prescription and supplements: MedicationStatement, with status active, completed, stopped or on-hold, and a dosage.
The medication can be coded in ATC (WHO, used widely in Europe; metformin is A10BA02) or RxNorm (US; metformin's ingredient RxCUI is 6809). See RxNorm vs ATC.
Why the difference matters
A prescription does not prove the patient takes the medicine, and a patient may take medicines no prescription shows. Medication reconciliation, which doctors do at every transfer of care, compares these sources. Our guide on your medication list and interactions explains it from the patient's side.
In Anpheros
In Anpheros, medicines in the patient's list are MedicationStatements with dosage and status, coded in ATC; dose reminders and the doses you tick are recorded too. See the medication tracker and, for developers, medication data for AI agents.
Related pages
Sources
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between MedicationStatement and MedicationRequest?
MedicationRequest is a prescription or order; MedicationStatement records that the patient takes or took a medicine, from any source.
Which resource holds a patient's own medication list?
MedicationStatement.
Which code system should I use for medicines?
ATC is common in Europe and for international exchange; RxNorm in the US. Many records carry both.
Is a supplement a MedicationStatement?
Yes, if the patient reports taking it; record it like any other medicine.
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