time

In prior versions of HL7, this data type was always specified to be in the format HHMM[SS[.SSSS]][+/-ZZZZ] using a 24 hour clock notation. In the current and future versions, the precision of a time may be expressed by limiting the number of digits used with the format specification as shown above. By site-specific agreement, HHMM[SS[.SSSS]][+/-ZZZZ] may be used where backward compatibility must be maintained.