Template  TQ - Timing/quantity

This component specifies the quantity of the service that should be provided at each service interval. For example, if two blood cultures are to be obtained every 4 hours, the quantity would be 2. If three units of blood are to be typed and cross-matched, the quantity would be 3. The default value is 1. When units are required, they can be added, specified by a subcomponent delimiter.

Note: The component contains the complex data type CQ and cannot be fully expressed. CQ cannot be legally expressed when embedded within another data type.

Determines the interval between repeated services.

The default is one time only.

This component indicates how long the service should continue after it is started. The default is INDEF (do indefinitely). This component is coded as follows:

Value	Description	Comments
S<integer>	<integer> seconds
M<integer>	<integer> minutes
H<integer>	<integer> hours
D<integer>	<integer> days
W<integer>	<integer> weeks
L<integer>	<integer> months
X<integer>	<integer> times at interval specified in the order.	A request for 2 blood cultures Q2H X3 would imply obtaining 2 blood cultures 3 different times at 2-hour intervals for a total of 6 blood cultures.
T<integer>	at the interval and amount stated until a total of <integer> "DOSAGE" is accumulated.	Units would be assumed to be the same as in the QUANTITY field.
INDEF	do indefinitely - also the default

This component may be specified by the orderer, in which case it indicates the earliest date/time at which the services should be started. In many cases, however, the start date/time will be implied or will be defined by other fields in the order record (e.g., urgency ‑ STAT). In such a case, this field will be empty.

The filling service will often record a value in this field after receipt of the order, however, and compute an end time on the basis of the start date/time for the filling service’s internal use.

When filled in by the requester of the service, this component should contain the latest date/time that the service should be performed. If it has not been performed by the specified time, it should not be performed at all. The requester may not always fill in this value, yet the filling service may fill it in on the basis of the instruction it receives and the actual start time.

Regardless of the value of the end date/time, the service should be stopped at the earliest of the date/times specified by either the duration or the end date/time.

This component describes the urgency of the request. The following values are suggested (the default for Priority is R):

Value	Description	Comments
S	Stat	With highest priority
A	ASAP	Fill after S orders
R	Routine	Default
P	Preop
C	Callback
T	Timing critical	A request implying that it is critical to come as close as possible to the requested time, e.g., for a trough antimicrobial level.
PRN	As needed

If using the value "T" (timing critical), the degree of criticality can be specified thus:

Format:

Value	Description	Comments
TS<integer>	timing critical within <integer> seconds
TM<integer>	timing critical within <integer> minutes
TH<integer>	timing critical within <integer> hours
TD<integer>	timing critical within <integer> days
TW<integer>	timing critical within <integer> weeks
TL<integer>	timing critical within <integer> months

For the sequential orders specification, these values specify the time criticality with which the predecessor order must be followed by the given order.

The priority component may repeat; separate repeating values with a space.

This is a free text component that describes the conditions under which the drug is to be given. For example, PRN pain, or to keep blood pressure below 110. The presence of text in this field should be taken to mean that human review is needed to determine the how and/or when this drug should be given.

This component is a full text version of the instruction (optional).

This non‑null component indicates that a second timing specification is to follow using the repeat delimiter. Refer to HL7 table 0472 - TQ Conjunction ID for valid values

Usage Note: There are many situations, such as the creation of an order for a group of intravenous (IV) solutions, where the sequence of the individual intravenous solutions (each a service in itself) needs to be specified, e.g., hyperalimentation with multi-vitamins in every third bottle.

There are other situations where part of the order’s instructions contains a results condition of some type, such as "PRN pain". There is currently a free text "condition" component of ORC-7-quantity/timing, which allows any condition to be specified. However, to support a fully encoded version of order sequencing, or results condition, we have defined in the following paragraphs a 10th component of ORC-7-quantity/timing.

The sequencing conditions supported by this 10th component are based on the completion of a predecessor service.

This component contains the duration for a single performance of a service, e.g., whirlpool twenty minutes three times per day for three days. It is optional within TQ and does not repeat.

Note: The component delimiter in this CQ is demoted to a subcomponent delimiter.

This component contains the total number of occurrences of a service that should result from this order. It is optional within TQ and does not repeat. If both the end date/time and the total occurrences are valued and the occurrences would extend beyond the end date/time, then the end date/time takes precedence. Otherwise the number of occurrences takes precedence.