Methods and applications for visualization of SNOMED CT concept sets

Area of Science:

• Health Informatics
• Medical Terminology
• Information Visualization

Background:

• Inconsistent use of SNOMED CT concepts hinders data comparability in health information systems.
• Standardized terminology implementation requires effective strategies for concept navigation and selection.

Purpose of the Study:

• To explore methods for visualizing common pathways and concept ancestors to support consistent SNOMED CT usage.
• To assess the potential applications of terminology visualization tools.

Main Methods:

• Development of an open-source, interactive web-based prototype (TermViz re-implementation).
• Features include interactive graph manipulation, concept node fetching, and highlighting shared pathways.
• User evaluation involved terminology mapping tasks and focus group interviews with four teams.

Main Results:

• The prototype demonstrated potential utility for SNOMED CT search, training, concept selection, and content management.
• User feedback indicated usefulness, particularly if integrated into existing systems.
• Further development is needed for graph layout optimization.

Conclusions:

• Terminology visualization tools can aid in consistent SNOMED CT adoption and improve health information system data quality.
• Integration with existing systems and refined visualization techniques are key for broader adoption.