From a clinical perspective, which of the following defines how resources reference each other?

• A. the kinds of resources that are defined
• B. their data contents, and rules about data such as terminology
• C. how resources reference each other
• D. how you can search for information

Answer: (C)

The key idea is how resources are linked through references. In FHIR, resources connect by fields that hold a Reference to another resource (for example, an Observation pointing to a Patient, or an Encounter referencing a Practitioner). This mechanism defines the way resources reference each other, enabling navigation and relationships across the data model.

The other aspects—what resource types exist, what data and terminology a resource contains, or how to search for information—address different parts of the system: the kinds of resources, the content and codes used, and retrieval methods, respectively. But they do not define the cross-resource linking mechanism.