HealthReferenceBodySite

Reference data entity for anatomical locations and body sites. Used to specify where procedures are performed, where symptoms are located, or where conditions affect the body.

Overview

HealthReferenceBodySite provides a standardized catalog of anatomical locations for clinical documentation. Each body site includes a code, human-readable label, the body system it belongs to, and laterality (left/right/bilateral). This enables precise documentation of procedures, findings, injuries, and symptoms by anatomical location.

Key Concepts

Body Systems

Anatomical sites are organized by body system:

System	Description	Example Sites
`cardiovascular`	Heart and blood vessels	Heart, aorta, coronary arteries
`respiratory`	Lungs and airways	Left/right lung, trachea, bronchi
`digestive`	GI tract and organs	Stomach, liver, colon, pancreas
`nervous`	Brain and nerves	Brain, spinal cord, peripheral nerves
`musculoskeletal`	Bones, joints, muscles	Knee, spine, shoulder, hip
`integumentary`	Skin, hair, nails	Scalp, forearm skin, nail bed
`urinary`	Kidneys and bladder	Left/right kidney, bladder, urethra
`reproductive`	Reproductive organs	Uterus, ovaries, prostate, testes
`endocrine`	Hormone-producing glands	Thyroid, pancreas, adrenal glands
`lymphatic`	Lymph nodes and vessels	Cervical nodes, axillary nodes, spleen

Laterality

For paired organs and bilateral structures:

Value	Meaning	Examples
`left`	Left side only	Left lung, left kidney, left knee
`right`	Right side only	Right lung, right kidney, right knee
`bilateral`	Both sides	Bilateral lungs, bilateral knees
`not-applicable`	No laterality	Heart, liver, stomach

Site Identification

Each body site record contains:

code - Unique anatomical code (e.g., "KNEE_LEFT", "HEART")
label - Human-readable name (e.g., "Left Knee", "Heart")
system - Body system classification
laterality - Side specification
description - Additional anatomical details

Use Cases

Surgical Site Documentation

When documenting surgery:

Select body site where procedure performed
Specify laterality for paired organs
Link to procedure record
Verify correct site marking

Diagnostic Imaging Orders

When ordering imaging:

Specify anatomical region to image
Include laterality for extremities
Link body site to imaging order
Use for image labeling and routing

Physical Examination Findings

When documenting exam findings:

Select body site where finding observed
Record finding details by location
Support precise clinical communication
Enable finding comparison over time

Injury Documentation

For trauma and injury records:

Document injury location precisely
Include laterality for limbs/paired organs
Support accurate coding for billing
Enable injury pattern analysis

Symptom Localization

When recording patient symptoms:

Specify where patient reports symptoms
Document radiation patterns (pain from X to Y)
Track symptom location changes
Support differential diagnosis

Related Entities

Entity	Relationship	Description
ImagingStudy	Referenced by	Imaging studies targeting body sites
Procedure	Referenced by	Procedures performed at body sites
Diagnosis	Referenced by	Diagnoses localized to body sites

Enums

system

Value	Description
`cardiovascular`	Heart, blood vessels, and circulatory system structures
`respiratory`	Lungs, airways, and breathing-related structures
`digestive`	Gastrointestinal tract from mouth to rectum, including liver and pancreas
`nervous`	Brain, spinal cord, and peripheral nerves
`musculoskeletal`	Bones, joints, muscles, tendons, and ligaments
`integumentary`	Skin, hair, nails, and associated glands
`urinary`	Kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra
`reproductive`	Male and female reproductive organs
`endocrine`	Hormone-producing glands (thyroid, adrenal, pituitary)
`lymphatic`	Lymph nodes, lymph vessels, spleen, and thymus
`other`	Anatomical sites not fitting other categories

laterality

Value	Description
`left`	Left side of the body
`right`	Right side of the body
`bilateral`	Both left and right sides
`not-applicable`	Midline or unpaired structures with no laterality

5 properties

Schema

Properties

Property	Type	Mode	Description	Required
code	string	stored	Standardized anatomical code Example: `"HEART"`	Required
label	string	stored	Human-readable name of the body site Example: `"Heart"`	Required
system	string	stored	Body system this site belongs to Values: `cardiovascular, respiratory, digestive, nervous, musculoskeletal, integumentary, urinary, reproductive, endocrine, lymphatic, other` Example: `"cardiovascular"`	Optional
laterality	string	stored	Side of the body if applicable Values: `left, right, bilateral, not-applicable` Example: `"not-applicable"`	Optional
description	string	stored	Additional anatomical details	Optional

Examples

Example 1

{
  "@type": "HealthReferenceBodySite",
  "code": "HEART",
  "label": "Heart",
  "system": "cardiovascular",
  "laterality": "not-applicable"
}

Example 2

{
  "@type": "HealthReferenceBodySite",
  "code": "LUNG_LEFT",
  "label": "Left Lung",
  "system": "respiratory",
  "laterality": "left"
}

Example 3

{
  "@type": "HealthReferenceBodySite",
  "code": "LUNG_RIGHT",
  "label": "Right Lung",
  "system": "respiratory",
  "laterality": "right"
}

Example 4

{
  "@type": "HealthReferenceBodySite",
  "code": "KNEE_LEFT",
  "label": "Left Knee",
  "system": "musculoskeletal",
  "laterality": "left"
}

Example 5

{
  "@type": "HealthReferenceBodySite",
  "code": "SPINE_LUMBAR",
  "label": "Lumbar Spine",
  "system": "musculoskeletal",
  "laterality": "not-applicable"
}

Example 6

{
  "@type": "HealthReferenceBodySite",
  "code": "PANCREAS",
  "label": "Pancreas",
  "system": "endocrine",
  "laterality": "not-applicable"
}