SNOMED CT is the all-encompassing clinical terminology that is used around the world and as a standard for quality information in the New Zealand health and disability system.
What is SNOMED CT?
- SNOMED CT is a comprehensive system of clinical terminology that comprises over 350,000 concepts and 1,200,000 terms in health and social care.
- It combines human-readable descriptions and coded concepts in a poly-hierarchical structure that captures meaning through relationships.
- SNOMED includes concepts for clinical findings, disorders, procedures, substances, medicines, devices and other concepts related to health and social care.
- SNOMED is developed by a global team of clinicians, researchers and content authors.
- Other international coding and classification systems are mapped to and integrated with SNOMED.
What is SNOMED CT used for?
- Clinical documentation at point of care
- Electronic health records
- Consistent communication of personal health information
- Real-time clinical decision support
- Health pathways
- Health data analytics.
How does SNOMED improve the use of information?
This article by Dr Charles Gutteridge at Barts Health NHS Trust explains some of the benefits of SNOMED: Speaking a common language: driving interoperability using SNOMED.
SNOMED is a standard for the health and disability system
SNOMED is required by the Health Information Standards Organisation (HISO) as a standard for the health and disability system.
HISO’s interoperability roadmap describes the importance of SNOMED to accelerate the shift to a fully interoperable digital health ecosystem.
For more information on SNOMED CT visit SNOMED International.