Open Vet Format (OVF)

Root export schema for the Open Vet Format (OVF). Wraps all veterinary medical record resources for a single patient into a portable, interoperable document.

Schema ID: https://vetformat.org/schemas/v1/ovf.schema.json

Fields

Field	Type	Required	Description
format_version	string	Yes	Semantic version of the OVF format used in this export.
exported_at	string (date-time)	Yes	Timestamp when this export was generated in ISO 8601 format.
exporter	[exporter]	No
patient	[patient]	Yes	The patient whose medical records are contained in this export.
practitioners	array<practitioner>	No	Veterinary practitioners referenced by clinical resources in this export.
encounters	array<encounter>	No	Clinical encounters or visits for the patient.
conditions	array<condition>	No	Diagnosed conditions or health problems for the patient.
observations	array<observation>	No	Clinical observations and measurements for the patient.
immunizations	array<immunization>	No	Vaccination records for the patient.
procedures	array<procedure>	No	Clinical procedures performed on the patient.
allergy_intolerances	array<allergy-intolerance>	No	Allergies and intolerances identified for the patient.
medication_statements	array<medication-statement>	No	Medication records for the patient.
document_references	array<document-reference>	No	Documents and files associated with the patient.

Sub-objects

exporter object

Information about the software that generated this OVF export.

Field	Type	Required	Description
name	string	No	Name of the exporting software or system.
version	string	No	Version of the exporting software.

Full Schema

{
  "$schema": "https://json-schema.org/draft/2020-12/schema",
  "$id": "https://vetformat.org/schemas/v1/ovf.schema.json",
  "title": "Open Vet Format (OVF)",
  "description": "Root export schema for the Open Vet Format (OVF). Wraps all veterinary medical record resources for a single patient into a portable, interoperable document.",
  "type": "object",
  "required": [
    "format_version",
    "exported_at",
    "patient"
  ],
  "additionalProperties": true,
  "$defs": {
    "exporter": {
      "type": "object",
      "description": "Information about the software that generated this OVF export.",
      "properties": {
        "name": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "Name of the exporting software or system.",
          "examples": [
            "VetNote"
          ]
        },
        "version": {
          "type": "string",
          "description": "Version of the exporting software.",
          "examples": [
            "2.4.1"
          ]
        }
      },
      "additionalProperties": true
    }
  },
  "properties": {
    "format_version": {
      "type": "string",
      "pattern": "^\\d+\\.\\d+\\.\\d+$",
      "description": "Semantic version of the OVF format used in this export.",
      "examples": [
        "1.0.0"
      ]
    },
    "exported_at": {
      "type": "string",
      "format": "date-time",
      "description": "Timestamp when this export was generated in ISO 8601 format.",
      "examples": [
        "2025-06-15T12:00:00Z"
      ]
    },
    "exporter": {
      "$ref": "#/$defs/exporter"
    },
    "patient": {
      "$ref": "patient.schema.json",
      "description": "The patient whose medical records are contained in this export."
    },
    "practitioners": {
      "type": "array",
      "default": [],
      "items": {
        "$ref": "practitioner.schema.json"
      },
      "description": "Veterinary practitioners referenced by clinical resources in this export.",
      "examples": [
        []
      ]
    },
    "encounters": {
      "type": "array",
      "default": [],
      "items": {
        "$ref": "encounter.schema.json"
      },
      "description": "Clinical encounters or visits for the patient.",
      "examples": [
        []
      ]
    },
    "conditions": {
      "type": "array",
      "default": [],
      "items": {
        "$ref": "condition.schema.json"
      },
      "description": "Diagnosed conditions or health problems for the patient.",
      "examples": [
        []
      ]
    },
    "observations": {
      "type": "array",
      "default": [],
      "items": {
        "$ref": "observation.schema.json"
      },
      "description": "Clinical observations and measurements for the patient.",
      "examples": [
        []
      ]
    },
    "immunizations": {
      "type": "array",
      "default": [],
      "items": {
        "$ref": "immunization.schema.json"
      },
      "description": "Vaccination records for the patient.",
      "examples": [
        []
      ]
    },
    "procedures": {
      "type": "array",
      "default": [],
      "items": {
        "$ref": "procedure.schema.json"
      },
      "description": "Clinical procedures performed on the patient.",
      "examples": [
        []
      ]
    },
    "allergy_intolerances": {
      "type": "array",
      "default": [],
      "items": {
        "$ref": "allergy-intolerance.schema.json"
      },
      "description": "Allergies and intolerances identified for the patient.",
      "examples": [
        []
      ]
    },
    "medication_statements": {
      "type": "array",
      "default": [],
      "items": {
        "$ref": "medication-statement.schema.json"
      },
      "description": "Medication records for the patient.",
      "examples": [
        []
      ]
    },
    "document_references": {
      "type": "array",
      "default": [],
      "items": {
        "$ref": "document-reference.schema.json"
      },
      "description": "Documents and files associated with the patient.",
      "examples": [
        []
      ]
    }
  }
}