Care Plans are representations of protocols that patients are meant to follow. They exist in two modes:

- **In abstract**, a protocol that could apply to a _hypothetical patient_, which is represented in FHIR as a [PlanDefinition](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/plandefinition/index.html).
- **In concrete**, a protocol that is planned for a _specific patient_, the PlanDefinition is instantiated (in FHIR terms, they call this `$apply`) into an optional [CarePlan](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/careplan/index.html) with a linked [RequestGroup](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/requestgroup/index.html) representing all the items that need to be done and their status.

It can be helpful to think of the historical analogs to these resources in the physical world. A `PlanDefinition` can be thought of as a written manual or protocol document that would be given to staff for training. A `CarePlan`/`RequestGroup` can be thought of a checklist that is added to a patient chart.

## Key Resources

_Tasks_

| **CarePlan** |   |
| --- | --- |
| Goal | Reduce Fall Risk by 10% |

| Task |   |
| --- | --- |
| Complete ICA Assessment |   |
| Schedule Appointment |   |

| Questionnaire |   |
| --- | --- |
| ICA Screen |   |

| Schedule |   |
| --- | --- |
| Dr. Alice Smith's schedule |   |

| Patient |   |
| --- | --- |
| Homer Simpson |   |

| **Resource** | **Description** |
| --- | --- |
| [`Task`](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/task/index.html) | A workhorse resource defining all clinical work items to be completed. |
| [`Goal`](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/goal/index.html) | A resource to define a measurable target to achieve. |
| [`CarePlan`](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/careplan/index.html) | A grouping resource to organize a group of [`Tasks`](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/task/index.html) for each [`Patient`](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/patient/index.html). |
| [`PlanDefinition`](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/plandefinition/index.html) | A resource that defines a clinical protocol that can be implemented on a per-patient basis. |
| [`RequestGroup`](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/requestgroup/index.html) | A resource that can define complex relationships between tasks, including temporal tasks, recurring tasks, mutually exclusive tasks, etc. |

## Key Code Systems

| **Code System** | **Description** |
| --- | --- |
| [LOINC](/content/docs/careplans/loinc/index.html) | Used to define the target measure of a [`Goal`](/content/docs/api/fhir/resources/goal/index.html) resource. |

## Other Resources

Note

Feel free to reach out to us at [hello@medplum.com](mailto:hello@medplum.com) if you have questions about your care plan setup.

Care planning can range from very simple - for example, a single prescription, to very complex - like a surgery with post operative follow up, evaluations, medications and more. For basic use, we recommend looking at reference care plans and customizing them to your needs.

- [Sample Care Plan Resources](https://github.com/medplum/medplum/blob/86bfdc2435035478d5672daf9cd45a609a012119/packages/react/src/stories/covid19.ts) including PlanDefinition, CarePlan and RequestGroup
- [PlanDefinitions on Medplum App](https://app.medplum.com/PlanDefinition) \- if you look at the tabs, you will see an `$apply` tab that allows you to convert a PlanDefinition into a RequestGroup that belongs to a specific patient.
- [RequestGroup on Medplum App](https://app.medplum.com/RequestGroup)
- [PlanDefinition Builder sample on Storybook](https://storybook.medplum.com/?path=/docs/medplum-plandefinitionbuilder--basic)
- [RequestGroup sample on Storybook](https://storybook.medplum.com/?path=/docs/medplum-requestgroupdisplay--simple)
- [Care Plan Features and Fixes](https://github.com/medplum/medplum/pulls?q=is%3Apr+label%3Acareplans) on Github

- [Key Resources](/content/docs/careplans#key-resources/index.html)
- [Key Code Systems](/content/docs/careplans#key-code-systems/index.html)
- [Other Resources](/content/docs/careplans#other-resources/index.html)