SNOMED CT is a systematically organized computer-processable collection of medical terms. It consists of the following components: medical terms, codes and code definitions. SNOMED is used in clinical documentation and reporting to improve the effectiveness of clinical data recording process with the aim of improving the quality of healthcare. SNOMED clinical terminologies will be used for managing the Electronic Health Record. They reflect the following categories of medicine and health:
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Medical disorders
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Symptoms
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Diagnosis
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Medical procedures and interventions
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Body structures
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Organisms and other etiologies
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Chemical substances
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Pharmaceutical
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Medical devices
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Specimens
Currently, SNOMED consists of more than 311 000 active concepts and provides basic general terminology for Electronic Health Record systems. SNOMED CT includes the following basic components:
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Concept Codes – numerical codes that identify clinical terms, primitive or defined, organized in hierarchies. Codes are organized in hierarchies, and are used to represent single-component (consisting of one word) and complex clinical terms. The concept codes are lines from 6 to 18 numbers (usually 8 or 9) and have specific meanings. The set of numbers that make up the code does not carry any independent meaning.
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Descriptions – textual descriptions of Concept Codes
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Relationships – relationships between Concept Codes that have a related meaning
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Reference Sets – used to group Concepts or Descriptions into sets, including reference sets and cross-maps to other classifications and standards
These links exist in the hierarchy of concepts, where each concept can be traced back to the parent concept due to the tree-like structure of SNOMED.
SNOMED CT and other standards
To create the nomenclature and various products developed on the basis of terminology, IHTSDO, International Health Terminology Standards Development Organisation, as the organization that manages SNOMED on international level, works in close cooperation with international health organizations and the largest professional medical associations of the USA such as DICOM (Digital Imaging and Communications in Medicine - is a standard for handling, storing, printing, and transmitting information in medical imaging), GA4GH (Global Alliance for Genomics and Health) , GMDN (Global Medical Device Nomenclature), GS1 (The Global Language of Business), LOINC (standard for identifying medical laboratory observations) and others.
Why do we need SNOMED CT in Kazakhstan?
SNOMED CT standardizes forms of information exchange and facilitates the ordering of the contents of electronic medical records. Imagine a large catalog of books in a library, which is not ordered by any logic: genre, alphabet, original language. Such catalog is completely useless as it does not allow for finding any particular book. If we imagine that medical concepts are books in the library, then SNOMED CT will allow avoiding chaos and will streamline the data in medical information systems, making them usable and, therefore, useful. The SNOMED CT nomenclature limits the variability of the methods of recording, coding and applying clinical data. This facilitates the interoperability of the mechanisms and tools implemented by the EHR system and the systems that interact with the EHR.
How to implement SNOMED CT in your medical organization?
The rights to use the SNOMED CT are held by all 24 countries that are members of SNOMED International, including the USA, Israel, Canada, Singapore, Australia, Switzerland, the UK and other Western European countries. Kazakhstan will become a SNOMED International member in the second half of 2017.
The National Release Center will be established on the basis of the RCRC after the official acquisition of SNOMED license. It will supervise activities related to the use of SNOMED nomenclature on the territory of the Republic of Kazakhstan. The licenses for the use of SNOMED CT will be available at the national release center.