OBR — Observation Request
HL7 v2.5.1 Observation Request segment reference
Describes a requested observation (lab order, imaging, etc). Each OBR can be followed by multiple OBX result segments.
Try it now — free, no sign-up
Paste a message containing a OBR segment into the free HL7 Online parser to see every field decoded, validated, and explained in your browser.
Open the HL7 Online parser →OBR field reference
The table below lists the commonly used fields of the OBR (Observation Request) segment. Field positions follow the HL7 v2.5.1 specification.
| Field | Name | Type | Len | Use | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| OBR-1 | Set ID | SI | 4 | O | Sequence number when multiple OBRs exist.e.g. 1 |
| OBR-2 | Placer Order Number | EI | 22 | C | Order ID from the placer system. Should match ORC.2.e.g. ORD-20240315-001 |
| OBR-3 | Filler Order Number | EI | 22 | C | Order ID from the filler system. Should match ORC.3.e.g. LAB-555001 |
| OBR-4 | Universal Service ID | CE | 250 | R | What was ordered. Typically LOINC or local code. Format: code^description^system.e.g. 80053^CMP^L |
| OBR-7 | Observation Date/Time | TS | 26 | C | When the specimen was collected (or observation started).e.g. 20240315080000 |
| OBR-14 | Specimen Received Date/Time | TS | 26 | O | When the specimen arrived at the lab.e.g. 20240315090000 |
| OBR-16 | Ordering Provider | XCN | 250 | O | Provider who ordered the test. Should match ORC.12.e.g. 1234^SMITH^JOHN^DR |
| OBR-22 | Results Report Date/Time | TS | 26 | C | When results were reported.e.g. 20240315110000 |
| OBR-25 | Result Status | ID | 1 | C | F=final, P=preliminary, C=corrected, X=no results, etc.e.g. F HL7 table 0123 |
Use column: R Required · C Conditional · O Optional. Type column uses HL7 data-type codes (ST = string, NM = numeric, TS = timestamp, CX = extended composite ID, XPN = extended person name, and so on).