Important identity note up front: there is no segment named PDS in HL7 v2. It does not appear in the HAPI v2.5.1 segment package, nor in v2.3, v2.4, or any other published HAPI version (all verified against the segment package summaries). There is also no PDS data type. A blueprint hint described "PDS" as "Product Description / Source," but that phrase does not correspond to any real HL7 v2 segment — it appears to blend two distinct, real constructs. This page documents the truth and routes you to the genuine segments so no fictional field table is presented as fact.
Purpose
The purpose of this page is disambiguation. Because "Product Description / Source" conflates the product-reporting family and the specimen-source concept, integrators searching for "PDS" almost always want one of the real constructs below:
- Product / regulatory reporting: PEO (Product Experience Observation), PES (Product Experience Sender), PSH (Product Summary Header), and PDC (Product Detail Country) in the product-experience/regulatory chapter.
- Specimen source: the SPS Specimen Source data type (legacy, carried in OBR-15), superseded by the SPM Specimen segment in v2.5+.
Used in
Nothing — PDS is not part of any HL7 v2 message structure. The real segments above are used as follows:
- PDC / PSH / PEO / PES appear in product-experience and regulatory-reporting messages.
- The SPS data type appears inside OBR-15 and similar fields; SPM is the modern specimen segment.
Field-by-field reference
There are no fields to list, because PDS is not a defined segment. The row below records the verified status. Source: HAPI HL7v2 v2.5.1 javadocs (segment package summary); the v2.3 package summary was also checked.
| Seq | Name | Data Type | Length | Req | Repeat | Table # | Description |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| — | (no PDS segment defined) | — | — | — | — | — | HL7 v2 defines no PDS segment or data type. See PDC/PSH/PEO for product data and SPS/SPM for specimen source. |
Most-used fields
Not applicable — there is no PDS segment. If you meant specimen source, the most-used fields are SPS component 1 (source name/code) and component 4 (body site). If you meant product reporting, see PSH and PDC.
Version differences (2.3 to 2.8.2)
No version of HL7 v2 from 2.3 through 2.8.2 defines a PDS segment. The genuinely relevant history is: the product-experience/regulatory segments (PEO, PES, PSH, PDC) exist from the older 2.x product chapters, and the specimen model moved from the SPS data type (pre-2.5, in OBR-15) to the dedicated SPM segment in 2.5. If a trading partner sends a non-standard PDS line, it is a local/custom Z-style segment and must be defined by that partner, not by the HL7 standard.
Common mistakes
- Expecting a standard
PDSsegment. There is none; anyPDS|...line is non-conformant or a local custom segment. - Confusing "Product" (PDC/PSH/PEO) with "Specimen Source" (SPS/SPM). "Product Description / Source" is not a single real thing.
- Building a parser field map for PDS from a third-party cheat sheet. Only the trading partner that emits a custom
PDScan define its fields; do not treat it as standard.
Examples
There is no valid standard PDS segment, so no conformant example can be shown. If you encounter a custom PDS|... line, treat it as a partner-defined Z-segment and obtain its layout from that partner. For the real constructs people usually mean, see the examples on the SPS and SPM pages.
Illustration of the more likely intent — specimen source carried the standard way, inside an OBR-15 SPS value:
OBR|1|PON123^LAB||CBC^Complete Blood Count^L|||20260701080000|||||||BLD^Blood^HL70070
FHIR mapping
Not mapped, because PDS is not a defined segment and has no ConceptMap in the v2-to-FHIR IG. Route by real intent instead: product-experience/regulatory content (PEO/PES/PSH) maps toward AdverseEvent/Device-related resources per local rules; specimen source (SPS via SPM) maps to the FHIR Specimen resource.
Engine considerations
- Do not register a standard
PDShandler. If a feed containsPDS, treat it as a custom segment and require an explicit local definition from the sender. - When someone reports "PDS," clarify whether they mean product reporting (PDC/PSH/PEO) or specimen source (SPS/SPM), then handle the real segment.
How Vorro parses and produces PDS
Vorro has no built-in PDS segment because HL7 v2 defines none. If a partner sends a custom PDS line, Vorro treats it as a locally defined Z-style segment governed by that partner's specification. For the constructs PDS is usually mistaken for, Vorro parses and produces the real segments: product-reporting segments (PEO/PES/PSH/PDC) and specimen source via the SPS data type and the SPM segment, mapping the latter to the FHIR Specimen resource on output.
Related pages
- SPS — the Specimen Source construct often confused with a "source" segment.
- SPM — the modern Specimen segment.
- OBR — carries specimen source in OBR-15 in legacy feeds.
