Sharing ontology between ICD 11 and SNOMED CT will enable seamless re-use and semantic interoperability

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Terminology
• Ontology Engineering

Background:

• Semantic interoperability in eHealth is crucial for effective data exchange.
• SNOMED CT and ICD-11 are next-generation, ontology-based terminologies/classifications.
• Valid cross-utilization of SNOMED CT and ICD-11 necessitates analyzing their representational units.

Purpose of the Study:

• To present the harmonization process between ICD-11 and SNOMED CT.
• To clarify the interpretation of codes in both systems as representing situations.
• To propose principles and design for a common ontology to align these systems.

Main Methods:

• Clarifying code interpretation: situations versus conditions.
• Developing principles for aligning ICD-11 and SNOMED CT.
• Designing a high-level common ontology.
• Identifying and addressing ontology-driven issues.

Main Results:

• Codes in both systems are interpreted as representing situations.
• Principles for alignment using a common ontology have been established.
• A high-level design for the common ontology has been developed.
• Further ontology-driven challenges have been identified.

Conclusions:

• Harmonizing SNOMED CT and ICD-11 is essential for semantic interoperability in eHealth.
• A common ontology approach facilitates the alignment and cross-utilization of these terminologies.
• Interpreting codes as situations is key to successful harmonization.