Implementation of SNOMED CT in an online clinical database

A number of strategies have been published to accelerate the use of electronic health records in caring for patients across the UK. These visions of 'eHealth' have a common requirement for robust interoperability between different systems with the use of appropriate information and data standards. SNOMED CT, a comprehensive terminology that NHS England intends to adopt across all care settings by 2020, is a key component of these standards but there is currently limited experience in its use in live clinical settings. Within NHS Wales, an electronic patient record system has been developed since 2009 with a focus on a core generic clinical information model built using SNOMED CT. Our experience is that SNOMED CT is a usable and clinician-friendly terminology but that its size and scope must be considered during implementation.